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Pulp and Paper
“I glanced out the window as my train pulled into the station and saw the girl who killed my son.” So begins Josh Rolnick’s powerful debut collection of eight stories, which utilizes a richly focused narrative style accenting the unavoidable tragedies of life while revealing the grace and dignity with which people learn to deal with them. The stories—four set in New Jersey and four in New York—span the wide geographic tapestry of the area and demonstrate the interconnectedness of both the neighboring states and the residents who inhabit them. In “Funnyboy,” a grief-stricken Levi Stern struggles to come to terms with the banality of his son’s accidental death at the hands of Missy Jones, high school cheerleader. In “Pulp and Paper,” two neighbors, Gail Denny and Avery Mayberry, attempt to escape a toxic spill resulting from a train derailment when a moment of compassion alters both their futures forever. “Innkeeping” features a teenager’s simmering resentment toward the burgeoning relationship between his widowed mother and a long-term hotel guest. “The Herald” introduces us to Dale, a devoted reporter on a small-town newspaper, desperately striving to break a big-time story to salvage his career and his ego. A teenager deals with the inconceivable results of his innocent act before an ice hockey game in “Big Lake.” And in “The Carousel,” a Coney Island carousel operator confronts the fading memories of a world that once overflowed with grandeur and promise. Throughout, Rolnick’s characters search for a firm footing while wrestling with life’s hardships, finding hope and redemption in the simple yet uncommon willingness to act.
Pulp and Paper captures lightning in a bottle, excavating the smallest steps people take to move beyond grief, heartbreak, and failure—conjuring the subtle, fragile moments when people are not yet whole, but no longer quite as broken.
Pulp and Paper captures lightning in a bottle, excavating the smallest steps people take to move beyond grief, heartbreak, and failure—conjuring the subtle, fragile moments when people are not yet whole, but no longer quite as broken.
- GenresShort StoriesFiction
192 pages, Paperback
First published September 16, 2011
67 people want to read
About the author
Josh Rolnick
4 books13 followersJosh Rolnicks short stories have won the Arts & Letters Fiction Prize and the Florida Review Editors Choice Prize. They have also been published in Harvard Review, Western Humanities Review, Bellingham Review, and Gulf Coast, and have been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Best New American Voices. A reporter, editor, and journal publisher, he grew up in New Jersey, spent summers camping his way through Upstate New York, and has lived in Jerusalem, London, Philadelphia, Iowa City, Washington, D.C., and Menlo Park. He lives with his wife and three sons in Akron, Ohio."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
November 4, 2011
What I find really admirable about these stories is how patiently they proceed, committed to a sort of dramatization that really feels like the author has gotten the eff outta the way so characters can take charge of their speech and actions -- or more so, exist and intermix. The first story, "Funnyboy," was a favorite among the billion stories I read during two years in the IC, definitely one of the fastest, one that lingers five or six years later. But a lot of these stories were new to me. "Mainlanders," particularly, really evoked teen life on Long Beach Island. This collection should appeal to readers who like longish stories that don't seem to try too hard to impress at any one moment but story after story after story become progresively impressive thanks to reliable representation of such an open, tender, innocent, perishable, endangered, temporary reality always liable to stain, tear, and transform.
Disclosure of potential conflict of interest: the author is a grad school friend and I read with him in Philadelphia as he toured to support this book.
Disclosure of potential conflict of interest: the author is a grad school friend and I read with him in Philadelphia as he toured to support this book.
December 26, 2011
Originally posted at my blog Chasing Empty Pavements
This book of short stories was a pleasant surprise for me as it was published by University of Iowa Press and I really appreciate the exposure UI Press gives up and coming authors.
The Good: I think it takes a talented writer to write short stories that not only have tightly woven plots but characters with depth and a story to tell. I know short stories are a hard sell for me usually because I love to become invested in the story and the characters and obviously I don't get that as much with a short story. This collection of stories however are at times so well written, I am actually angry when I come to the end because I want more. Pulp and Paper is split into two sections... 4 stories in the New Jersey section and 4 stories in the New York section. I personally, thought the New Jersey stories were better. I found Rolnick's ability to make his characters resonate with the readers very impressive and I really enjoyed this collection of short stories!
The Bad: There were a couple of stories that hindered on being boring and this was one of the times I was glad I was reading a book of short stories because I knew that I had other stories to look forward to.
Overall this was a well written and interesting book of short stories and I would recommend it for a quick and brief look at the author, Josh Rolnick. I would definitely be willing to read anything this author puts out. I give this book a B+.
**I received this book free from the publisher through www.netgalley.com. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
This book of short stories was a pleasant surprise for me as it was published by University of Iowa Press and I really appreciate the exposure UI Press gives up and coming authors.
The Good: I think it takes a talented writer to write short stories that not only have tightly woven plots but characters with depth and a story to tell. I know short stories are a hard sell for me usually because I love to become invested in the story and the characters and obviously I don't get that as much with a short story. This collection of stories however are at times so well written, I am actually angry when I come to the end because I want more. Pulp and Paper is split into two sections... 4 stories in the New Jersey section and 4 stories in the New York section. I personally, thought the New Jersey stories were better. I found Rolnick's ability to make his characters resonate with the readers very impressive and I really enjoyed this collection of short stories!
The Bad: There were a couple of stories that hindered on being boring and this was one of the times I was glad I was reading a book of short stories because I knew that I had other stories to look forward to.
Overall this was a well written and interesting book of short stories and I would recommend it for a quick and brief look at the author, Josh Rolnick. I would definitely be willing to read anything this author puts out. I give this book a B+.
**I received this book free from the publisher through www.netgalley.com. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
April 20, 2017
I don't believe I'm biased by being Josh Rolnick's student at a NYC writing workshop, though I think highly of his thoughtful, supportive tableside manner. But knowing and working with the author, gives me some insight into his approach to crafting stories, and I think these stories succeed on their own terms. Each story is about a person produced by and rooted in a local culture in rural or suburban New York or New Jersey. No Brooklyn coffee shops here. So it is that Garnet, in "Big River" is named after the cash-stone of the upstate mining town where her story is so firmly set. So it is that in "Mainlanders," Swanny observes of a comment of Tubby's, "It was just one of those things people said in Bay City [fictional New Jersey beach town], and when they said it, you knew exactly what they meant." This is what Rolnick means when he says on his own blog "The Setting is Provincial," in the best use of the term. But whereas provincial writing sometimes feels forced, like tourism, it feels natural here. Ever so slightly nostalgic but not romantic. And I think that's because of the strength of the characters. Each character in this collection yearns and strives for something on that spectrum of human emotion. Rolnick's gift is to give us access to so wide a range of credible emotion in characters young and old. Each story swept me away into fresh worlds, as much mental-emotional as physical-cultural, more effectively and completely than I am used to. As in any collection, some stories will titillate and stoke us more than others, but the quality of the craft is consistent and very, very strong throughout.
August 3, 2024
I really wanted to give this book 4 stars but I just couldn’t justify it with all the issues I had with the book. The book is compiled of 8 short stories. The first 2 were my favorite. I found most of the stories interesting however it felt like some of them dragged on longer than they should have. I found myself getting quite bored during one of the longer stories. I felt like most of the stories dragged in the beginning and then got quite good at the end. I know this was intended to be short stories but some of them were really good it makes me want a full story! Probably wouldn’t read it again but a fairly decent read.
January 20, 2012
U of iowa john simmons short fiction award winner 2011 wonderful, old fashioned short stories set in new jersey and new york (out side of nyc). Old fashioned in the way of updike, malamud, bellow, cather, f scott, ford, faulkner, like that. No pomo "tricks", no smoking meth and beating people up. Just good ole islanders vs mainlanders, pregnant women vs dubious future husbands, slow cricket nights vs the will to be fast. Hope to see much more of josh rolnick.
Want to Read
November 4, 2011Saw the author read in Philly on 11/3. He read the first third of 'Mainlanders' and I can't wait to find out what happens with the girl whose uncle teaches at USC!
If the rest of the book is anything like what the author read last night, then it seems like the book equivalent of a deliciously fuzzy blanket on a soggy day, or a bowl of macaroni and cheese, or hot cocoa that's not too sweet but definitely contains fluffy marshmallows. In other words: perfecto.
If the rest of the book is anything like what the author read last night, then it seems like the book equivalent of a deliciously fuzzy blanket on a soggy day, or a bowl of macaroni and cheese, or hot cocoa that's not too sweet but definitely contains fluffy marshmallows. In other words: perfecto.
March 19, 2025
Having spent most of the day reading about U.S. and international politics in the papers and journals, on a recent Sunday evening I was in the mood for a story. The latest edition of Paper Brigade was nearby, and I reached for it. It was a happy impulse.
The story I read was “Kindertransport” by Josh Rolnick, of whom I had never previously heard. Its setting was Vienna, Austria after the Anschluss. Its depiction of the workaday terrors experienced by Jews at that time and place was detailed and chilling. And the story’s ending left me feeling stunned.
I was soon at my computer googling the author’s name, wanting to know more about him and hoping to find more of his works to read. That led me to his collection of eight stories, "Pulp and Paper."
The first two left me wrestling with how an unknown person like me could best get the world’s attention regarding a major new author. I guess I tend to be inclined to sudden and great enthusiasms, but my calmer disposition after the day and a half it took me to read the rest says nothing negative about the other stories, at least one of which in my view approaches greatness. Each of the stories is beautifully written and compelling. There’s not a boring one in the bunch. Nor does any one of the stories resemble any of the others.
Highly recommended.
The story I read was “Kindertransport” by Josh Rolnick, of whom I had never previously heard. Its setting was Vienna, Austria after the Anschluss. Its depiction of the workaday terrors experienced by Jews at that time and place was detailed and chilling. And the story’s ending left me feeling stunned.
I was soon at my computer googling the author’s name, wanting to know more about him and hoping to find more of his works to read. That led me to his collection of eight stories, "Pulp and Paper."
The first two left me wrestling with how an unknown person like me could best get the world’s attention regarding a major new author. I guess I tend to be inclined to sudden and great enthusiasms, but my calmer disposition after the day and a half it took me to read the rest says nothing negative about the other stories, at least one of which in my view approaches greatness. Each of the stories is beautifully written and compelling. There’s not a boring one in the bunch. Nor does any one of the stories resemble any of the others.
Highly recommended.
October 2, 2022
Take a break from life and read gentle short stories that illustrate the softness of human kind. Twists as surprising as one can experience with short stories. Eight distinctly different stories in just 165 pages. The stories cover the love of a cat, newspaper reporting, the yearn of yesteryear, the search for life, and regrets of the past that color tomorrow.
Rich characters and small town settings highlight this simple book with crisp writing.
(Ironically, I finished this book on a plane on the way to London. The young woman, Francesca, next to me asked me about the book since she liked the attractive cover. I shared my quick reflections then offered her the book. So a woman from Vienna will next enjoy this book.)
Rich characters and small town settings highlight this simple book with crisp writing.
(Ironically, I finished this book on a plane on the way to London. The young woman, Francesca, next to me asked me about the book since she liked the attractive cover. I shared my quick reflections then offered her the book. So a woman from Vienna will next enjoy this book.)
July 17, 2020
Really good read, enjoyed the stories. Thought provoking, moving.
May 5, 2016
I saw a brief mention of this book somewhere and checked it out of the local library. The fact our library has such an obscure book speaks well about the depth of our collection.
The stories are mixed, some better than others.
The first story is called " Funnyboy ". In it we follow a father who is dealing with the death of his young son. He had been killed by a popular teenage girl who had run him over. The accident was deemed just that, the boy had run out into the street without looking. The man finds himself unable to deal with the loss, he feels anger toward the girl. He will not talk to her, despite her efforts to do so, until one day when her secret comes out.
The Herald focuses on a veteran newspaper reporter who stumbles onto a huge scoop. Hungry for a big story, the rush overwhelms him. He uses a potentially inaccurate method to verify a story detail and makes the biggest mistake of his life. This is a solid story about the newspaper process.
Mainlanders is a story I could relate to quite well. In it a couple of teenage boys on a barrier island have set their sites on a couple of tourist girls. I grew up in a small coastal town, a tourist trap. We had a few girls who showed up every summer. I do not know where Megan and Laurie are now, thirty years later, but I know more than a few boys from my hometown remember them.
The title story centers on a train derailment and the cloud of gas that rushes the small town around the site while Big River follows a teenage couple who, in attempting to deal with a surprise pregnancy, are making decisions that will change their lives forever.
The stories are mixed, some better than others.
The first story is called " Funnyboy ". In it we follow a father who is dealing with the death of his young son. He had been killed by a popular teenage girl who had run him over. The accident was deemed just that, the boy had run out into the street without looking. The man finds himself unable to deal with the loss, he feels anger toward the girl. He will not talk to her, despite her efforts to do so, until one day when her secret comes out.
The Herald focuses on a veteran newspaper reporter who stumbles onto a huge scoop. Hungry for a big story, the rush overwhelms him. He uses a potentially inaccurate method to verify a story detail and makes the biggest mistake of his life. This is a solid story about the newspaper process.
Mainlanders is a story I could relate to quite well. In it a couple of teenage boys on a barrier island have set their sites on a couple of tourist girls. I grew up in a small coastal town, a tourist trap. We had a few girls who showed up every summer. I do not know where Megan and Laurie are now, thirty years later, but I know more than a few boys from my hometown remember them.
The title story centers on a train derailment and the cloud of gas that rushes the small town around the site while Big River follows a teenage couple who, in attempting to deal with a surprise pregnancy, are making decisions that will change their lives forever.
January 30, 2012
This book is not a novel, but a collection of short stories, which makes it harder to give a rating to the "whole" when each one stands on its own individual merits. Some of these stories dipped into 2.5 or 3s stars (The Herald, Mainlanders) while others zoomed to solid 4.5 and 5s for me (Funnyboy, Big River, Big Lake). The best stories in this collection, however, more than made up for the ones that weren't quite as resonant and make the entire collection well worth the read.
Josh writes with a clear, concise hand. He doesn't beat the reader over the head with over-descriptions, frantically trying to ensure that the complexities of the emotions before us are truly understood the exact way he wants us to see them. Instead, he chooses his words with careful precision and straightforward clarity, and he leaves it to us to absorb their full meaning.
Sometimes, the most simple things to say are the most complicated to feel; sometimes the most basic facts are really the most profound. Rolnick quietly unfurls each story; he then leaves it the reader to let them reverberate. It aches with the unsaid: the things we know humans are capable of feeling, but are poor at explaining. He doesn't explain it, so much as give us an opportunity to feel it. I am glad to have read it.
Josh writes with a clear, concise hand. He doesn't beat the reader over the head with over-descriptions, frantically trying to ensure that the complexities of the emotions before us are truly understood the exact way he wants us to see them. Instead, he chooses his words with careful precision and straightforward clarity, and he leaves it to us to absorb their full meaning.
Sometimes, the most simple things to say are the most complicated to feel; sometimes the most basic facts are really the most profound. Rolnick quietly unfurls each story; he then leaves it the reader to let them reverberate. It aches with the unsaid: the things we know humans are capable of feeling, but are poor at explaining. He doesn't explain it, so much as give us an opportunity to feel it. I am glad to have read it.
July 3, 2012
This was a nice debut short story collection, very consistent and it held together well without getting monotonous, which is not always easy. I like how Rolnick structured the stories -- the first half set down the Jersey Shore, the second in New York (mostly upstate, with one at Coney Island). While the work definitely has a freshman feel, it kept reminding me of really early Stephen King, before he went exclusively horror/fantasy -- Night Shift, Different Seasons -- without those earwormy cadences that always drove me nuts about King. There's something very earnest and a little naive about Rolnick's storytelling that I liked, especially in a young, Iowa-MFA guy. No easy irony, just some big truths, and I think he's someone to keep an eye on.
December 14, 2023
This book of short stories by Josh Rolnick is written concisely--and shows clear, underlying author empathy with his characters, a rare combination.
The stories are very different from one another. The landscapes, sense of place, and characters are strong.
I am not quite done with it yet, but wanted to put this out there for those who, like me, read more short stories in summer for some reason connected to, I think, weather, humidity, portability (it's 160 pages of...Pulp and Paper!)
Highly recommend to any reader interested in American literature.
The stories are very different from one another. The landscapes, sense of place, and characters are strong.
I am not quite done with it yet, but wanted to put this out there for those who, like me, read more short stories in summer for some reason connected to, I think, weather, humidity, portability (it's 160 pages of...Pulp and Paper!)
Highly recommend to any reader interested in American literature.
June 24, 2012
My only complaint about this book of short stories is the book wasn't long enough! I would gladly tackle a huge book of Rolnick's stories -- they were amazing. Each struck a different chord with me, and I'll just leave this to say, read it!
Lori Anderson
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July 27, 2014
An unexpected treat. I randomly picked this up in a used bookstore because of its title with little idea how good it would be. The writing is crisp and the stories have an edge to them but never slip into sentimentality. The best of the lot (though all are VERY good) is "Mainlanders" - I've never read a story that captures the awkwardness and pathos of being a teenage boy.
June 7, 2012
Compelling, funny, beautifully written -- plus, they are short stories that have something to say (and go somewhere) as opposed to the type where you're done and you say, "ok, that was all very Meaningful, but . . ."
January 16, 2012
Eight exquisite stories about ordinary folks attending to their losses. One is set in a struggling Jersey shore inn and another on a wooden carousel on Coney Island, so they didn't need to be nearly so good to capture my attention. But they are so good. Seek this out.
July 12, 2012
Great first collection. Josh Rolnick has a natural storytelling voice, the kind you could listen to for ages. Excellent observation and language. Some very unique stories set in New Jersey and rural New York state.
August 7, 2012
2 1/2 but upgraded because of writing. Bias: not a short story lover. Divided into NJ and NY--4 each. Went from good to less so--just about progressively. If you enjoy short stories, read them, but...
May 25, 2013
From the first page of the first story, I knew I had landed somewhere good. Rolnick writes for an intelligent reader and he has scrupulous fidelity to the pitch and timber of each eccentric voice he channels. And this is supposedly the first fiction Rolnick, a long-time journalist, has produced.
August 6, 2014
Josh Rolnick finds characters whose life has just changed irrevocably and lets us stay with them while they figure out how to go on living. These stories would break your heart if all of them weren't steeped in compassion and love.
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December 5, 2011He has an amazing way of putting suspense into each story. Great first book.
February 3, 2012
Very interesting stories of loss of one kind or another. These are characters we all know.
July 19, 2012
Here is a link to my review of "Pulp and Paper": http://jchariscarlson.blogspot.com/20...
October 7, 2012
Nice collection of short stories that are thoughtfully written with a bit of seriousness to them. I enjoyed the distraction.
December 15, 2012
wonderfully crafted short stories. nice variety of voices. looking forward to more. a writer to watch.
October 17, 2013
an intriguing collection of well written short stories.
June 2, 2017
As is always true with short story collections, some hit you harder than others. The first NJ and first NY stories definitely hit for me.
September 2, 2016
Graceful, gorgeous stories. My review in full (from PANK 2012) http://pankmagazine.com/2012/01/24/pu...
July 10, 2012
A great group of short stories--I found myself enjoying nearly every page of this book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews