Description: The stories in The Man in the Banana Trees take place in the past, present, and future--from the American Gulf South to the orbit around Jupiter. We meet teachers and students, ghosts and aliens. An ice cream consultant in the year 2036 predicts a devastating flavor trend and a disgruntled New England waiter investigates a mysterious tanker crash. Although wildly varied in setting, length, and genre, a thread of the fantastic unites these stories, as characters struggle to understand that thing lurking at the edge of their perception: something sinister, or maybe--miraculous.
Review Quotes: "The Man in the Banana Trees kicks ass. Every story is a surprise. The dexterity of Marguerite Sheffer's prose is absolutely awe-inspiring. By turns heartbreaking and brilliant, Sheffer's stories remind one of George Saunders and Amy Hempel in their playfulness and through their special eye for tragedy."--Jamil Jan Kochai, judge, Iowa Short Fiction Award