‘Ship Fever’ At Ridgefield Library

RIDGEFIELD — Ridgefield Library’s AM Book Group is done with its holiday hiatus and ready to sink its teeth into a new season of great reading. On Wednesday, January 17, at 10 am, the group will start the new year with a discussion on Andrea Barrett’s Ship Fever. Discussion takes place at the library, which is at 472 Main Street.

The 1996 National Book Award winner for fiction is a collection of short fictions all focused on “the love of science and the science of love,” each in some way, shape or form. The author has interwoven historical and imagined characters to tell her tales, echoing the themes of fact and fiction, the rational and emotional.

In each of the novellas, Ms Barrett demonstrates a marked talent for psychological revelation and social criticism. She is capable of encapsulating entire lives inside the relatively small confines of her exquisitely crafted pieces.

Ms Barrett received a fellowship from the Guggenheim Foundation, an honorary degree from Union College and teaches the MFA writing program at Warren Wilson College.

Participation in the book group’s discussion is free and open to the public; new members are always welcome. Call Susan Verrilli, the director of adult programs at the library, at 203/438-2282 for further information.