This short-fiction collection examines various characters' reactions to death, past regrets, and other life changes.
Joy's (American Past Time, 2015) stories range from the wistful reminiscenceof "Riding a Greyhound Bus into the New World," in which a widowerreflects on the young, inept man that he was on his honeymoon, to themore cynical "The Quick Pick," in which an unusual couple builds a lifeby using the winning lottery ticket of a dead man. Many of thecharacters in these stories never seem to completely find peace, butsome do reach some kind of redemption. In "Dalton's Good Fortune," forinstance, a broken Vietnam vet finds salvation from a fortuneteller, and in "Nina's Song," a man who's carried the unimaginable guilt of losinghis sister in a mall ever since he was a child realizes that his familyhas never blamed him for her disappearance. Throughout these often verybrief tales, no matter how dire, bleak, reflective, or celebratory theymight be, Joy maintains a smooth prose style with a light touch thatacts as a counterpoint to the darkness. At the same time, he fills thetales with imagery as exceptional as that in his debut novel, as in "The Girl from Yesterday": "His face was all leathery, like boots after they get nice and broke in." Among the life-changing epiphanies, Joysprinkles in humor; "Pickup Line at the Ritz Carlton" is basically asetup and a punchline. He also evokes mystery in "Triage," in which thewife of a retired, philandering surgeon suggests that he relieve hisboredom by taking a mountain bike ride; this doesn't turn out well,which leaves readers wondering about the wife's motives. There's also an engaging trilogy of connected pieces ("The Girl from Yesterday," "TimeDon't Run Out On Me," and the titular story) that follow differentcharacters through a night on the town.
Short, edgy tales with depth.