by Graham Joyce
First published 2003
This collection cannot be summarized through a single protagonist or narrative thread, as it presents multiple standalone stories that demonstrate Joyce's range across different fictional territories. Each piece operates as its own complete world, with characters facing distinct challenges and circumstances. The stories shift between various approaches to storytelling, some grounded in everyday reality while others venture into more speculative terrain. Joyce moves between different narrative voices and techniques throughout the volume, creating a showcase of his versatility as a writer. The collection draws readers into diverse situations and settings, each story building its own particular atmosphere and emotional landscape. The unifying element lies not in shared characters or plot but in Joyce's distinctive approach to crafting fiction that engages with both the familiar and the unexpected.
Genres: fiction, short-stories, literary-fiction, 20th-century, 21st-century
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: unreliable-narrator
Period: 20th-Century, 21st-Century
220 pages · Hardcover · Subterranean