Overgrown with Love

About

Lead short story featured in 1993 Best American Short Stories

A wide variety of characters saunter, stalk, run, and sometimes hide in these lively stories about contemporary Southerners. Their experiences revolve around the way life is felt and the way it is lived, reflecting a gap between the plans we make for ourselves and the way things actually turn out. From the jungles of Vietnam to the bayous of Louisiana, from the French countryside to Vicksburg, Mississippi, Ely’s stories reveal how human beings’ unpredictable, unconscious motivations will have their say no matter what steps are taken to silence them.

Certain shadows fall over all the characters—especially the shadows of the Vietnam experience and the struggle between a traditional Southern heritage and the conflicting ideals of contemporary society. The characters in Ely’s stories seem powerless to defend themselves against the ever-changing expectations of a modern life, and yet they gain a new humanity and depth when, with dignity, they embrace their limitations.

Praise

“This is an altogether admirable selection of stories, one of the strongest I have seen in a long time.”
—John Williams

“This stunning, elegant collection of stories about the way we love now is a virtual garden of delights. Ely’s storytelling lets love go on growing and climbing and shedding its skins, even in the shine of its own throbbing shadow. What a beautiful book!”
—Al Young

“Overgrown with Love is, in my best judgment, a splendid collection of top-of-the-line short stories.”
—George Garrett

Author

Scott Ely is an associate professor of English at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina. He is the author of two previous books, Starlight and Pit Bull.