A woman is horrified to hear from the adult that the baby she never saw has become. Variations on the theme of adoption are infinite and kindle deep and contrary feelings about the body, the self, family, love, home, and heritage. And there is no better medium for sifting through this kaleidoscopic array of emotions than fiction and poetry, the cathartic languages of longing, of why, and of beauty, the universal healer. Adoption is the cornerstone of Chang-rae Lee s masterful new novel, one that carried him, and that will transport his readers, several steps beyond his phenomenal debut, Native Speaker . And adoption is the well-explored theme of A Ghost at Heart s Edge , a generous and prismatic anthology of short stories and poems.
Anthologies are the grab bags of literature.
Readers take their chances, lured by an intriguing subject, the guarantee of familiar writers, and the promise of discovery in the works of writers new to them. For editors, anthologies are jigsaw puzzles without a box. The works themselves are subtly transformed by their juxtaposition in the way one spice enhances another, or a particular shade of blue brings out the green in someone s eyes, a gentle chemistry that works to significant effect in A Ghost at Heart s Edge . Editors Susan Ito, herself adopted, and Tina Cervin, a psychotherapist and poet, report that they were astounded by the hundreds of submissions they received. As they read through these offerings, they were struck by how often writers described the presence of ghosts hovering around the lives of many of the characters and narratives.