The Coffin with the Eleven-Year-Old Myself
is a collection of captivating short stories that assembles the trepidations and yearnings of a variety of distinctive characters into one single experience that invariably leaves the reader pondering over the meaning of personal worth, close relationships, transcendence of values, and life itself. The unique metaphysical view of the author is embodied in a variety of whimsical, bizarre, and even grotesque experiences through which she takes her characters. The vividly painted scenes from their lives are often fantastic but always projected onto everyday reality, so much so that the reader can see one's own feelings reflected in the characters' thoughts. Stefani's style is unique; it exhibits a classic Impressionistic sway reminiscent of Baudelaire and the early Symbolists, often mixed with honest Existential excursions. The scenes in her stories are so vividly painted that one can almost see the events unfolding before one's eyes, as in some fantastical film that Fellini never made. While reading this book, 'entertaining' is not a word that comes to mind, yet one is simply unable to put the book down until the last page is turned, only to realize that what one really wants to do is to begin reading it again. There are so many layers in every story that, upon each reading, new thoughts are evoked, forgotten feelings are awoken, and the familiar characters appear to have taken new life. Each story goes deep beneath the surface of human existence and leaves us wanting to know, to understand better, to experience life not just as we know it, but as we really would like it to be.