by Bill Simmons
First published 2015
A young widow kneels beside her disabled son's bed, pleading with God for a miracle that never arrives. When her prayers go unanswered, she faces an unthinkable choice. Her story joins seventeen others in this collection that maps the strange territory of human behavior. A judge witnesses religious fervor collide with municipal politics in a small town. Two golfers maintain their friendship until death claims one of them on the eleventh fairway. A physics teacher reveals his flaws to a former student who once idolized him. An ambitious villain schemes over casual conversation. Each tale circles back to the same questions about life's purpose and meaning. Simmons draws from his own experiences to illuminate moments that seem ordinary but contain extraordinary weight. These stories explore the peculiar ways people navigate their complicated lives.
Genres: short-stories, literary-fiction, contemporary
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unreliable-narrator
Period: 21st-Century
282 pages · Paperback · CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform