September 1st at 5:00 PM Natalie Serber will give a presentation on Shout Her Lovely Name.  Serber’s debut short story collection has a theme of mothers and daughters, family and the challenges faced in the age old struggle between generations.  The title comes from the first story in the collection about a mother, her anorexic daughter and the searing conflict between them as the parent tries to heal her child.  Ruby Jewel, second in the series, has a disappointed mother, Sally, waiting home for her daughter, Ruby. Dad picked Ruby up from the station and headed straight for the bar (not an unknown occurrence for the man), but now he has his daughter on the bar stool next to him and a secret on his lips.  Free to a Good Home finds Ruby determined to keep her unplanned baby while the father walks away saying “Someone Else Can Do Right By Her”. In the story titled Manx a feral cat named Phil Donoghue after the talk show host is adopted into the family and leads to a date with the local vet. But Ruby is not readily able to fulfill the role of responsible mother much less pet owner.  A daughter’s burgeoning sexuality is the subject of another story, an issue fraught with emotional baggage for mother - daughter relationships.  Enduring the angst of the teen years is featured too. Ruby and Nora are in most of the stories, linked in a way that allows the reader to join the characters in various stages of their lives.   Although Shout Her Lovely Name is a collection of short stories, with many of the entries sharing the same characters at different times this continuity gives it the feeling of a novel.  Serber mines the pathos of family life to show the mistakes, caring, and betrayal that populate the minefield of our relationships.  The stories are written with emotional resonance and beauty.  Serber can be funny or heartbreaking, she keeps the reader wondering how the characters will surmount their challenges. Focus shifts between mother and daughter, allowing the stories to be told from varying perspectives and keeping the narrative lively.  Serber started writing Shout Her Lovely Name when her children were in elementary school, she concluded when her youngest entered college.  Author events are free and fun. Light refreshments will be served and there will be a drawing for prizes.  Call 541-593-2525, e-mail sunriverbooks@sunriverbooks.com or stop by Sunriver Books & Music to sign up to attend.