In a world that devours one technological advance after another, the simple human questions persist. They endure despite the increased speed of the personal computer or the decreased size of the cellular phone. In a time ruled by measurements they remain elusive and undefined. The longing for love, the crisis of past versus present, the nagging hunger for meaning in the face of constant change--these questions manage to be both small and huge, both slow and fast, all at once. They are the inheritance of every generation; they are written on the very lining of our hearts. These stories are, then, simply a short list of questions. Whether it be a story like "Bones, 11 where love and time intersect, or one like "There is A., 11 where moral strength is at issue, each asks a question. Each attempts by a different angle to flush some answers from the brush. What does it mean to love? When does hope become foolishness? When lost, is it always better to stay put? These are some of the concerns taken up in this collection. In the end, the answers remain just out of reach, having only just rounded the corner at our arrival. The reader is left to either the tremulous bravado of the boy in the second story, who asks, "What do I care about wolves in the night anyway?" or the paltry rebellion of the man in "Making for the Phoenix" who is reduced finally to throwing rocks at the windows in his office building.

Out of the Ever After and Other Stories is a collection of language-driven stories set in different parts of the world and thematically linked, comprising realist narratives and magical realism. The trope that unifies this collection is that of the journey. The characters go on journeys, whether real or metaphorical. Many are lost at the beginning, but they find themselves in the end; others remain lost, but have a better understanding of their condition in the world. Although diverse in nationality, cultural background and gender, the characters in the eight stories share the need to find a lasting identity and a home-place to return to, whether physically or psychologically. The collection alternates magical and realist plots, male and female narrators, points of view, and diverse settings to create variety and a multicultural, hybrid and hyphenated experience. Some stories experiment with language; others have a more traditional mood, akin to fairytales. / by Claudia Amadori-Segree. / Thesis (M.F.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2008. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, FL : 2008 Mode of access: World Wide Web.