The Puttermesser Papers by Cynthia Ozick

Best review at: http://www.complete-review.com/reviews/ozickc/putterp.htm

The chick-book thread should pay attention... this book contains 5 odd stories about Puttermesser, a woman between thirty and sixty years old depending on the story. She creates a golem in her sleep, she becomes mayor of New York, she is murdered and then raped posthumously, she visits Paradise. Each story starts out fairly realistically and then becomes rapidly abstract and fantastical. The words are carefully chosen, written with great skill. This Ozick person is a master.