First published 1980
A young street tough discovers his bravado means nothing when real consequences arrive. A preacher confronts the lies he tells himself about his failures. A killer tests how far audacity can carry him. Two lovers let jealousy poison what they once shared. McPherson creates a dozen portraits of people navigating the complex terrain where black and white America intersect. His characters face moments that strip away pretense and force them to see themselves clearly. Some find redemption in honesty. Others crumble under the weight of their own contradictions. Each story captures the humor and pain of ordinary people trying to carve out space for themselves in a world that resists easy definition. McPherson writes with warmth but never sentimentality, humor but never mockery. These stories reveal the small victories and quiet defeats that shape American lives.
Genres: literary-fiction, american-fiction, african-american, contemporary
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: ordinary-people, redemption
Setting: America
Period: 20th-century
250 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Fawcett