Lester, Alison Jean 1966-

PERSONAL:

Born 1966, in the United States; daughter of James (a jazz musician) and Valerie (a writer) Lester.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Singapore.

CAREER:

Writer, corporate communication trainer, improvisational comedian.

WRITINGS:

Locked Out: Stories Far from Home, Monsoon (Singapore), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS:

Many of the stories in Alison Jean Lester's first book, Locked Out: Stories Far from Home, center around English-speaking expatriates. For example, in "Bill's Bones," Judith Reynolds finds herself living in Bintan and working at a Club Med after her husband is swept away by ocean currents from a local beach. She becomes attracted to the manager of the Club Med and to the children she often has to look after. In the title story, a young American woman living in Tokyo begins to think that her husband is having an affair. In "Really Trying to Get Somewhere," jaded travel agents who are married seek to find meaning in their lives together during a junket to Sri Lanka, but find themselves unable to really connect as they drink and party. "Lester's direct, straightforward storytelling … compellingly drives the narratives," wrote Wes Stevens about Locked Out on the Asian Review of Books Web site. Stevens went on to note: "An alienated sense pervades … this excellent collection." Stevens also wrote: "The writing is quirky, insightful, and most of all, honest." A Kirkus Reviews contributor called Locked Out a "sharply observed debut collection of stories" and also noted that the author provides "unapologetic, critical observations."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Kirkus Reviews, November 1, 2006, review of Locked Out: Stories Far from Home, p. 1095.

ONLINE

Asian Review of Books,http://www.asianreviewofbooks.com/ (March 12, 2006), Wes Stevens, review of Locked Out.

Monsoon Books Web site,http://www.monsoonbooks.com.sg/ (May 18, 2007), brief profile of author.

WritersCafe.org,http://www.writerscafe.org/ (May 18, 2007), brief profile of author.