Celebrities in Disgrace : A Novella and Stories

Inspired by a society obsessed with celebrities, Searle explores the glittery-dark underworld of 'hopefuls,' those who have been given the slightest hint of success--or even imagined success--and who are hungry for an audience, of any size. Ranging from a woman's relentless pursuit to be an actress despite her tendency to faint onstage, to a disintegrating family who comes together if only to watch the imaginary lives in a soap opera, the stories in Celebrities in Disgrace capture the thrill and lure of fame and our insatiable need for it.

“These stories come to us wrapped in narrative forms that simply obey no rules but their own: a single glance exploding fractally into many lives. Kids, do not try this at home.” —Christopher Tilghman

“How well Elizabeth Searle knows her vivid characters and how cunningly she depicts their weird and wonderful lives. Celebrities in Disgrace is a sparkling collection by a writer with a unique and an utterly contemporary sensibility.” —Margot Livesey

“In clipped, poetic language, Searle skillfully unwinds a psychosexual narrative.” —New York Times Book Review on A Four-Sided Bed

“Her elegant prose and anythingbut-PC gender play are pleasing to the mind and to the loins.” —Boston Phoenix on A Four-Sided Bed

“Bending gender and conventional notions about love and marriage, Searle's bold, beautiful book reaches right past the sensationalism of a love triangle to offer us an intense and moving portrait of the different ways people can connect.” —Booklist on A Four-Sided Bed

“A powerful, unsettling first novel. . . . A bright, distinctive, haunting debut.” —Kirkus Reviews on A Four-Sided Bed