20 Over 40

By David Galef

As anyone over forty can attest, the middle of life can be complex. It means assuming authority over both the younger generation and the older set: kids and aging parents. Still, midlife fiction has gotten short shrift, if it's gotten any shrift at all.

For those who like a good story but are tired of youthful fiction, 20 over 40 offers welcome relief: a short story anthology by authors over age forty about subjects that have a lot to do with that too-often-ignored time of life. Whether the plot concerns tending to children, taking care of older parents, pursuing a love affair, facing one's own age, or just nursing a midlife crisis, these stories speak to the complexities of real life. These writers are no longer novices, yet they're not jaded or cynical. They know their craft.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1578069033
• ISBN13: 9781578069033
• Release Date: August 2006
• Publisher: University Press of Mississippi
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.9" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

20 over 40 hits the mark!

What a romp! What clever, poignant, delicious fun! This collection of stories about folks on the downhill side of 40, is not only a grand idea, it's a superb execution. The editors have chosen compelling, often surprising pieces by such writers as Freerick Barthelme, Alice Mattison, Antonya Nelson, Gish Jen, and Robin Hemley to explore the lives of protagonists too seldom featured in contemporary short fiction: in between the "wise elder" and the "youthful rebel," we find a figure, more solid, more wistful, and much more human -- the man (or woman) in the middle. Like Janus, this protagonist looks both forward and back, raising children and taking care of aging parents, scrambling at work and looking seeking solace in play. Whether or not you fall into this age group, do yourself a favor and savor these stories!