The stories in this unique collection are linked by a crazy and entertaining historical rant (which may require a magnifying glass to read). It often feels as if the history/timeline and the italicized story which is nestled within it is an elaborate joke (I'm pretty sure that it is), but then a particularly searing observation or unnerving comment will illustrate something about the desire we all have to be remembered, to be special, and the reader is suddenly wrong-footed into contemplation. Notable stories are 'Cold Snap,' a frightening and funny take on Santa, 'Restoration,' a beautiful and inventive story about history and memory, 'Without You, I Wouldn't Be Alive' guaranteed to make book lovers' hearts sing, 'Endangered Species,' and 'Acronyms' which I promise will make you crave a BLT made in exactly the way described. It's hard to capture the work of a writer whose stories are 'as light as souffles and nourishing as steak' (Jack Dann) but I attempted it in a longer review which I wrote last year.
Watch Rob reading at the launch.
Read a review here.
Read Rob's most recent work here.
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