First published 2024
In "Low Tones," a woman deliberately ignores her husband's running commentary by relying on her hearing impairment as protection. In "Lineman," a telephone worker struggles to reach his own family while the digital age makes his profession obsolete. In "Confessional," a young couple purchases an old confessional booth as a novelty, but they learn that complete honesty carries unexpected consequences. These characters guard their secrets and past mistakes carefully, yet those buried wrongs continue to echo through time and affect future generations. Each person desperately wants genuine connection with others, but none can bring themselves to reveal the complete truth. Their lives hang in the balance between what they refuse to say, what they wish they could admit, and what they hope someone might understand without words. McCorkle examines the weight of unspoken truths and the price of keeping silent about the things that matter most.
Genres: short-stories, literary-fiction, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: character-driven, unreliable-narrator
256 pages · Hardcover · Algonquin Books