by Joe Clifford
First published 2012
A television producer schemes for ratings while his moral compass spins wildly. A veteran returns home carrying invisible wounds that split his mind in two. An addict makes one last play to escape the streets that own him. These characters populate Clifford's debut collection, where desperate people make terrible choices with good intentions. The stories move fast through a world where human beings become commodities and survival demands compromise. A gangster weighs loyalty against self-preservation. A con artist discovers his mark might be more dangerous than expected. Each tale explores how ordinary people become predators or prey when pushed to their limits. The writing cuts deep without mercy, revealing the darkness that lurks beneath everyday desperation. These are stories about people who have fallen through society's cracks, fighting to climb back up or simply to stop falling. The collection examines what happens when moral boundaries dissolve and desperation takes control.
Genres: fiction, short-stories, literary-fiction, crime
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: moral-ambiguity, unreliable-narrator
140 pages · Paperback · CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Content warnings: addiction, drug-use, violence