Kalloss, Stephanie

PERSONAL: Born in Lincoln, WA; daughter of Greg and Dorie Kallos.

ADDRESSES: Home—Seattle, WA. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Grove, 841 Broadway, New York, NY 10003.

CAREER: Writer. Previously worked as an actor and teacher.

WRITINGS:

Broken for You (fiction), Grove Press (New York, NY), 2004.

SIDELIGHTS: Stephanie Kalloss is an actress turned novelist who impressed many critics with her first novel Broken for You. The story centers around two women living with loss. The first, Margaret, has lived in virtual isolation in a Seattle mansion since the death of her son and her divorce from her husband. In her seventies, Margaret discovers she has a brain tumor and decides that she must do something different with her life as the end is apparently near. She opens her mansion to borders, among them Wanda, a maniacally organized stage manager who was abandoned by her parents and is in town looking for a recent boyfriend who did the same. The novel essentially follows Margaret and Wanda as they interact with each other and come to terms with the ghosts of their respective pasts. Bronwyn Miller, in a review for Bookreporter.com, noted that as the book is "told in alternating chapters that illuminate the characters as they are now, we also are privy to their back-stories of how they came to be 'broken.' With such insight into these people, Broken for You ends up being a life-affirming read rather than a depressing one." Writing in Booklist, Jennifer Baker commented, "Well-crafted plotting and crackling wit make this debut novel … a delight to read and a memory to savor." Jenn B. Stidham wrote in Library Journal that the author "has given us a compelling, richly layered story," and a Publishers Weekly contributor commented, "Though it takes a while to get started, this haunting and memorable debut is … peopled by lovably imperfect and eccentric characters."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, August, 2004, Jennifer Baker, review of Broken for You, p. 1900.

Kirkus Reviews, July 15, 2004, review of Broken for You, p. 650.

Library Journal, August, 2004, Jenn B. Stidham, review of Broken for You, p. 68.

Publishers Weekly, July 12, 2004, review of Broken for You, p. 41.

ONLINE

Bookreporter.com, http://www.bookreporter.com/ (May 30, 2005), Bronwyn Miller, review of Broken for You.