First published 2018
This collection brings together stories from both seasoned and new voices in literary fiction. Killer thanks someone for accepting his apology in "Killer and Crud Get Married" by Jonathan Muzzall. Alexandra Chang follows a character watching someone wade into the ocean in "Tomb Sweeping Day." Katherine Hubbard sets "Hamlet" among characters who mock bridge and tunnel commuters. Taylor Koekkoek introduces Joanie, whose hair is so black it makes everyone else's look brown, in "Thrill-Ville USA." Colin Fleming meditates on roots in "Last Light Out." Valerie Trueblood writes about a basketball star's girlfriend in "Crisco." Jamel Brinkley centers on an eighth grader trying to understand girls in "Everything the Mouth Eats." Other contributors include Jad Josey, Amanda S. Torres, Madiha Sattar, Ben Stroud, and Chase Burke, whose characters face grenades rolling into offices and neighbors whose names they should know. The collection closes with an interview featuring Alberto Manguel discussing childhood reading. These stories capture moments when ordinary people confront the mysteries that shape their lives.
Genres: short-stories, literary-fiction, anthologies, american-fiction, contemporary, 21st-century
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, slice-of-life
228 pages · Paperback · Glimmer Train Press, Inc.