Opening with “Hors d’oeuvres” and closing with a “Feast,” the stories in Cravings pulse with longing, missed opportunities, recriminations, and joy. Garnett Kilberg Cohen leads readers through acutely crafted explorations of the way events shape and change our lives, sometimes for the better and sometimes in ways that haunt us forever. Love, friendship, childhood, parenthood, and leaving home—all these experiences of desire, driven by the unrelenting passage of time—form the heart of this charismatic collection. 

Kilberg Cohen’s captivating and vulnerable characters often recognize their shortcomings and past mistakes, but cannot always rise above them. One woman learns to forgive her husband’s ex; another fears her love of salty snacks caused a family tragedy. A stoic rural community drives a newcomer out of town; a young man’s entire life is colored by a traumatic childhood event at a zoo. Focusing on the specific, unforgettable moments that reveal our connections to one another, Cravings offers an expansive vision of humanity that lingers long after the final page is turned. 

Garnett Kilberg Cohen is the author of three story collections: Lost Women, Banished Souls; How We Move the Air; and Swarm to Glory. She has taught creative writing at Columbia College Chicago for more than twenty-five years.

Contents

Hors d’oeuvres            
Slow Dance        
Ogden, Ohio
NoirHer Life in Parties
Wheels    
Breaking News
Maternal Instinct
Jump
My Practice Life
The Goodbye Party
Feast
Acknowledgments