©2025 Fable Group Inc.

Carnival of Reality

By Allison Whittenberg
Carnival of Reality by Allison Whittenberg digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

Allison Whittenberg’s characters have a lot of soul. They’re riled up, outspoken, and sometimes even silent, in which case, they’re still saying a lot. They’re convincingly alive and they come at you from the page. In this brilliant mid-career collection, Whittenberg’s Carnival of Reality investigates the complexities in human relationships from a decidedly black woman’s perspective. In the first engaging story, “Ride the Peter Pan” touches on gender and elements of racial bias. You will root for main character Arna­—and her journey as she comes to terms with the aftermath of date rape. In another absorbing story, “Choice” a single mother is faced with a Hobson’s choice as she is faced with the possible increase to her family. Her ultimately aching decision is a most realistic one. Whittenberg’s writing is thick with zany and fearless elements in “The Sane Asylum.” The humor is there, mingled with the desperation in Lucy, a mother trying desperately to keep her rebellious, head strong son from a conscription notice. Another highlight is “Why Didn’t You Call Me, 9/11?” the story of Jean who lives with her mother in a far from the Twin Towers small town. She is in a go nowhere interracial relationship with a commitment phobe engineer and must reckon with her loneliness and her place in the world.

Download the free Fable app

app book lists

Stay organized

Keep track of what you’re reading, what you’ve finished, and what’s next.
app book recommendations

Build a better TBR

Swipe, skip, and save with our smart list-building tool
app book reviews

Rate and review

Share your take with other readers with half stars, emojis, and tags
app comments

Curate your feed

Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communities
app book lists

Stay organized

Keep track of what you’re reading, what you’ve finished, and what’s next.
app book recommendations

Build a better TBR

Swipe, skip, and save with our smart list-building tool
app book reviews

Rate and review

Share your take with other readers with half stars, emojis, and tags
app comments

Curate your feed

Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communities

No Reviews

About Allison Whittenberg

Allison Whittenberg is a Philadelphia native who has a global perspective. If she wasn’t an author she’d be a private detective or a jazz singer. She loves reading about history and true crime and travels broadly. Her novels include Sweet Thang, Hollywood and Maine, Life is Fine, and Tutored.

Start a Book Club

Start a public or private book club with this book on the Fable app today!

FAQ

Do I have to buy the ebook to participate in a book club?

Why can’t I buy the ebook on the app?

How is Fable’s reader different from Kindle?

Do you sell physical books too?

Are book clubs free to join on Fable?

How do I start a book club with this book on Fable?

Error Icon
Save to a list
0
/
30
0
/
100
Private List
Private lists are not visible to other Fable users on your public profile.
Notification Icon
Fable uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB