Description
Book SynopsisA relationship ends in the space between [ ]. Abe Lincoln and Edgar Allan Poe Two stroll the river in the afterlife, debating a second death. Two boys navigate jazz, baseball, and growing up in the second between the pitch and the swing. And a man from Living Dangerously sets off across the ocean on a pile of lobster traps, seeking the truth of the smoke on the wind. With If You [ ], author Colin Fleming breaks the unwritten rule of the short story collection. In over thirty different styles, Fleming delivers a punk rock triple album in book form—compositions that display a dizzying range of fearless artistry, from horror to hyper-experimental to a story disguised as a grocery list. Together, these pieces resonate with unexpected chords, exploring the breadth of human experience and affirming that that narrative is everywhere, if we are able and willing to see it.
Trade ReviewPraise for Colin Fleming “Colin Fleming’s stories exhibit many of the qualities that have distinguished his criticism: namely, a fierce but disciplined intelligence, a singular view of society—and, sometimes, those who live in isolation from mainstream society—and a well-earned and convincing compassion. All of this, in a debut collection of stories written in eloquent prose, at once vivid, hypnotically precise, and always bursting with energy.” —Richard Burgin, Boulevard, and five-time Pushcart winner “Colin Fleming is a thoughtful and provocative maker of stories. Singular, he refuses to assimilate to any of the easy available trends. He can break into any life and find surprises—sudden moral convulsions, paradoxical resolutions. The characters have broad expressive range, and when they interact anything can—and does—happen. Fleming is a writer to stake out and shadow—to see where he goes, who he meets, where he gets his news.” —Sven Birkerts , editor of Agni
![If You [ ]: Fabula, Fantasy, F**kery, Hope:](http://bookcurl.com/cdn/shop/files/9781950539215.jpg?v=1722551527)