Allan Gurganusâs New Short Story Collection Is Filled With Snakes, Sex, and a Prophetic Look Forward
Liveright |  Jan. 12
Allan Gurganus is talking about psychic visitations over Zoom one January morning when his phoneâalmost certainly a landlineâbegins ringing shrilly. He offers a genteel apology and ignores it as it rings three times more. A few beats later, my own phone goes off, briefly eclipsing our conversation.
âWell,â Gurganus says, pausing. â
Speaking of concurrent realities.â
Zoom is a less auspicious stage than Gurganusâs sprawling home in Hillsborough, which is filled with historical tchotchkes and borders a graveyard that dates back to 1757. Still, even in a virtual setting, it feels perfectly possible that some elementâa ghost, a concurrent reality, a wrinkle in time, whatever you want to call itâhas joined the waiting room of our call.