Stories · 2012 · MG Press
This Jealous Earth
Stories
Pushcart Prize Nominee
Best Indie Lit New England
Whatever the situation, the characters in This Jealous Earth find themselves faced with moments of decision that will forever alter the course of their lives. Always moving and often touched with humor, these stories examine the tension between the everyday and the transcendent — our attempts to hold on to what we love, and our inevitable failure to do so.
Ranging from realism to fable, the collection gathers Carpenter's short fiction at its most concentrated. A man puts his beloved pets to the knife. A family prepares a backyard burial. A son tends to his ailing father. Lives suspended in the moment before everything changes.
Sadly, This Jealous Earth is currently out of print.
Rare copies sell for four figures (if you include pennies).
Rare copies sell for four figures (if you include pennies).
Praise & Reviews
– Featured on Minnesota Public Radio.
"Stories like time bombs.” — Gregory Blake Smith, Law of Miracles
“Tautly constructed, psychologically acute, and elegantly written stories... By turns sad, funny, tender, and alarming, This Jealous Earth examines the nuanced turns and shifts of human events and feelings that imbue the ordinary with the extraordinary.” — Siri Hustvedt
“Modern, witty, provocative. This Jealous Earth is an auspicious debut.” — Alethea Black I Knew You’d Be Lovely
Named a “Best Book of 2012” – The New Podler Review
“[An] agreeable debut... engaging... charmingly nostalgic.” – Publishers Weekly
“Incredibly moving... Carpenter’s writing is clear and delightful.” – The Rumpus
“A strong debut... impressively affecting... beautifully written.” – Noah Magazine
"If the quality of literature being published in any given year can be measured by story collections such as this one, the state of fiction is robust."— Reader review
"Carpenter's stories examine the tension between the everyday and the transcendent with clarity and wit."— Best Indie Lit New England