Skin: Stories

In these sensitive and keenly observed stories dramatizing the complexities and ambiguities of human relationships, C. E. Poverman presents a richly varied range of protagonists. Among them are an Hispanic social worker who takes calls on a crisis center helpline ("Cutter"), a young model who demonstrates cosmetics ("Beautiful"), and a college professor accused of sexual abuse ("The Man Who Died"). The powerful climax of the collection is the hallucinatory title story, where a young woman discovers that her lover is a potentially dangerous psychopath. Marked by intelligence, compassion, and a sense of irony, these stories secure Poverman's place among the best writers of short fiction in America today.