First published 2018
A solitary wedding attendee finds himself speaking to a goose about his loneliness. Across these eleven stories, ordinary people navigate the peculiar anxieties of contemporary life. Two poets argue over signing a petition to pardon Edward Snowden, their artistic principles clashing with political action. A husband retreats when his wife confronts a potential home invader, exposing his cowardice in a moment of crisis. A prospective apartment renter in New York discovers he lacks anyone willing to vouch for his character. These characters wrestle with bourgeois concerns like facial hair fashion and the exhaustion of new parenthood, yet their private thoughts reveal deeper political undercurrents. Their hesitations and reversals uncover both the petty cruelties and unexpected grace found in daily existence. O'Neill captures how internal debates carry real consequences in a world where mild troubles mask more significant struggles.
Genres: short-stories, literary-fiction, contemporary, social-issues
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: consequences-of-inaction, internal-debates, ordinary-people
Setting: New York
Period: Contemporary
176 pages · Hardcover · Fourth Estate