SOURCE: A review of The Wild Blue Yonder, in Saturday Night, Vol. 106, No. 1, January-February, 1991, p. 50.

In the following review, Corbeil lauds Thomas's aptitude for making her stories fresh and new.

There is very little formal experimentation, and zero posturing in Audrey Thomas's latest book of short fiction [The Wild Blue Yonder]. The thirteen stories are, in fact, brimming with what some would consider old-fashioned virtues: the author has compassion for her characters, respect for their struggles no matter how small, and she writes unforced narratives in a transparently lucid style.

Although the surface of Thomas's world is smooth, the tales are never predictable. This is quite an achievement, to write stories that don't call attention to themselves and yet feel exciting and alive by virtue of the territory they explore.

With the exception of the brilliant title piece, "The Wild Blue Yonder," which deals with a daughter coming...