{"product_id":"all-roads-stories-paperback","title":"All Roads: Stories - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eColleen O'Brien\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe fourteen stories in \u003ci\u003eAll Roads \u003c\/i\u003eexplore childhood trauma, addiction, and the reckless materialism of mainstream American culture. Set mostly in Chicago, the stories range from the perspective of a nine-year-old girl intensely observing her new stepmother to a woman trying to make sense of her body after cancer surgery. The collection offers a complex and candid view of class privilege, gender oppression, and the idiosyncratic forms of refuge we take in a culture that demands our self-objectification. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In \"Charlie,\" a new mother tells the story of her confusing attachment to a former mentor, uncovering the deep pain that has largely defined her life. In \"The Fathers,\" an awkward bachelor party leads to an unexpected moment of overdue connection between the bride's father and brothers. The title story tracks the drunken monologue of a nihilistic middle-aged man attempting to seduce a young woman into a threesome, while \"The Deal\" alternates perspectives between a cynical divorced woman and her adult son, the only person with whom she's been able to sustain a lasting relationship. Relentlessly self-revealing, these characters vacillate between vulnerability and self-protection, exposing the necessity of both. Dark, comic, and altogether unforgettable, \u003ci\u003eAll Roads\u003c\/i\u003e introduces an original voice attuned to the docility of the stingray as well as the ancient spear of its tail.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCOLLEEN O'BRIEN\u003c\/b\u003e is originally from Chicago. Her short fiction has appeared in the \u003ci\u003eGettysburg Review\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eAntioch Review\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eNorth American Review\u003c\/i\u003e, and other magazines. She won a Pushcart Prize for her story \"Charlie,\" which is anthologized in \u003ci\u003ePushcart XLV\u003c\/i\u003e (2020). Her poetry chapbook, \u003ci\u003eSpool in the Maze\u003c\/i\u003e, won the DIAGRAM\/New Michigan Prize, and she was a finalist in the 2021 National Poetry Series Open Competition. Her poems can be found in \u003ci\u003eFence\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eKenyon Review Online\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eDenver Quarterly\u003c\/i\u003e, and elsewhere. She recently worked as a staff writer for the HBO Max adaptation of the novel \u003ci\u003eStation Eleven\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 192\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.7 x 8.9 x 5.9 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e March 15, 2022\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50333144318189,"sku":"9780810144651","price":21.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0020\/8918\/9441\/files\/k0dE2LZW_b9780810144651.webp?v=1784979032","url":"https:\/\/www.webster.direct\/en-ca\/products\/all-roads-stories-paperback","provider":"Webster.Direct","version":"1.0","type":"link"}