The Girl with Brown Fur

A writer who knows how to create an odd, atmospheric setting, Stacey Levine has written a novel (Dra—) in which a protagonist wanders through a office complex that looks increasingly like a madhouse. Her new collection of modern fairy tales, The Girl with Brown Fur, similarly transports readers to absurd and surreal landscapes. Some of the pieces here are riffs on wonderland classics: In “The Bean,” a nod to “Jack and the Beanstalk,” we get to know an underachieving, depressed legume who has yet to find his calling in life. It’s funny, but Levine’s dream worlds also come with a hint of danger; what boils beneath their crusts is often challenging and disturbing. In “The Girl,” an unhappy female narrator plans to steal a young girl who is being held captive by a man in a lousy hotel. The disturbed woman ultimately fails in her kidnap attempt, but we’re left knowing that she wouldn’t have been much better than the girl’s current captor—she’s a Clare Quilty to his Humbert Humbert.

In “The Wolf,” the narrator tells us that “facts quickly metamorphose into tales.” The tale concerns a neurologist named Fred who has recently separated from his wife. In the midst of a breakdown (he pours beer over his head while gazing into the forest), Fred sees a wolf and chases it, “knowing that if he touches the wolf, he might be overcome, lose control in a seizure of happiness and gorgeous self-regard.” Levine’s crisp stories similarly find excitement and transformation as they chase down their fantastical plots. The Girl with Brown Fur won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but the adventurous will enjoy following Levine’s bread-crumb trails, even if that means getting a little bit lost.—A.N. Devers

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