The Old Ballerina Ellen Cooney .
Life is a performance. . .
The book consists of three parts, each containing roughly fifteen pairs of tightly focused prose paragraphs on facing pages. The result is a powerful pattern of reciprocal associations not only within the prose pairs but also between them. We're not sure what's going on yet, but this short phrase, just two ordinary words, promises action, story, and tension. We're just waiting to find out. . . Contagion and Other Stories Brian Evenson.