Annie Oakley’s Girl

"Obsession, jealousy, and thoughts of death are the essence of this surrealistic short story collection by Brown (The Terrible Girls, City Lights, 1992). In the title story, 'Annie, ' a young girl is obsessed with Annie Oakley and everything Western, but obsession turns to disappointment when Annie Oakley arrives in the big city to promote Western fashions. In 'Folie a Deux, ' a couple becomes blind and deaf to share each other's senses and isolate themselves from the outside world. This experiment creates a dependency that destroys their relationship. 'A Good Man' is the moving story of a young man dying of AIDS and his friendship with a woman who will not desert him during his illness. In 'The Death of Napoleon, ' a woman becomes obsessed with the image of killing Napoleon, who is really a symbol for the lover she distrusts. Recommended for public libraries."–Library Journal