Acts of God
*Starred Review* Gilchrist will remain forever beloved for Victory over Japan (1984), her National Book Award–winning collection of short stories. Many outstanding novels have been added to her oeuvre over the years, but Gilchrist’s deliciously wise and humorous voice abides best in the short story form, and her new collection of 10 stories will say to her fans that their reconnection to this openhearted writer from the South is a pure old-home-week experience (especially given that recurring Gilchrist characters make welcome appearances). A thematic connection unifies the stories, which generally reflect recent national events and current social and political conditions that put individuals’ moxie to the test. For instance, “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor,” a beautiful, smart, phenomenally rich story, sees three middle-aged women, former college buddies, off to a vacation in Italy, but they are sidelined along the way by terrorist activity; in post-Katrina New Orleans in the title story, an elderly couple’s last effort at independence from caretakers and infirmities has fatal results, but after their deaths, their youngest son creates an elaborate family tree celebrating life over death. Gilchrist has no interest in soap-box preaching or, for that matter, in sentiment. It’s character exploration she seeks, pure and simple. --Brad Hooper