by Robyn Ryle
First published 2025
The residents of Lanier, Indiana wake up to find an unusual email waiting for them. Someone has sent the entire town of 12,234 people a survey about their sexual practices, but nobody knows who sent it or why their community was selected. The basketball coach struggles with Covid while dealing with the intrusive questions. The local bartender tries to balance her writing ambitions with the chaos the survey creates. A town bureaucrat nurses a grudge against the hot dog vendor as secrets spill into the open. The anonymous questionnaire forces neighbors to confront what they thought they knew about each other. As responses pour in and rumors spread, the survey exposes the hidden complexity beneath small town life in the aftermath of the pandemic. Each resident must decide how much truth they're willing to reveal about themselves and what they're prepared to learn about the people around them.
Genres: literary-fiction, domestic-fiction, american-fiction, contemporary, social-issues, comedy
Vibes: character-driven, darkly-comedic, intimate, satirical, thought-provoking
Tropes: community-upheaval, ensemble-cast, multiple-perspectives, secrets-revealed
Setting: Lanier, Indiana
Period: Post-Pandemic Era, 21st Century
232 pages · Paperback · Galiot Press
Content warnings: sexual-content