Vorab-Rezensenten

Literary stories about the lives of boys and men

The debut collection from award-winning short story writer Gregory D. Williams takes us back to the 1970s, a bygone era when parents didn't always know what their children were up to and pre-teen boys were becoming men. In stories about growing up in the dry heat of Phoenix, Arizona, a Little League player bobbles the ball with his first crush. In another story, two friends stake out the house of a neighborhood bully and play a role in a deadly accident. These adolescent boys see moral compromise - and their roles as husbands, fathers, and breadwinners - shimmering like a mirage on the horizon.

Soon, the innocence of childhood recedes into the past. Grown-up life begins. During a practicum on breast-and-rectal exams, an overlooked lump on a sexy partner leaves a med student shaken. A doctor apprehends that the distance between pain-relief and addiction is shorter than he ever imagined. And a man propositioned at a local Starbucks discovers that even in middle age, the dry heat of love still burns.

Stories about seniors touch on emotions at life's end. A widower, busted while honoring his wife's final wish, tells a white lie to escape arrest. A fisherman is startled by the appearance of a talking trout.

In all these stories, the boy lives on inside the man.

For fans of William Trevor, Claire Keegan, Alice Munro, Tobias Wolff, and Niall Williams.