First published 2020
A Chicago youth faces questioning for murder in "A Bottle of Milk for Mother." A legless man beats another nearly to death in "The Face on the Barrome Floor." A police captain tormented by guilt watches criminals who feel none in "The Captain Has Bad Dreams." A young woman slides into prostitution and addiction while her dreams fade in "Design for Departure." These characters populate the streets and alleys of Algren's Chicago, where World War II veterans struggle to readjust and the desperate scramble for survival. The collection captures moments when ordinary people make choices that seal their fates. Algren writes about those society overlooks: the small-time crooks, the damaged, the unlucky. His stories reveal how circumstances trap people and how they respond when cornered. The characters search for connection and meaning in a city that offers little of either.
Genres: fiction, short-stories, literary-fiction, american-fiction, 20th-century, crime
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: damaged-characters, social-commentary, urban-setting
Setting: Chicago
Period: World War II
1 pages · MP3 CD · Blackstone Publishing
Content warnings: addiction, violence