Time Sharing

by Richard Krawiec

This riveting, hilarious, and deeply moving novel looks at two people who live on the margins of our society. Artie is a petty thief, a would-be con man, and when he sees Jolene Jello wrestling at a dive bar, he thinks he's found a meal ticket.Jolene is a single mother struggling to find a way to support her sick child. In Artie, she sees the hope of a chance to provide a father figure for her son, and a normal family life for herself.Against all odds, Artie and Jolene begin to develop a deep love for each other. But times are tough, and their luck is bad. They come up with a plan that might help them escape the poverty that is closing in around themor it might destroy any chance they have at true love.Gritty and unsentimental, Time Sharing depicts the lives of Artie and Jolene with sympathy and humor. The two lovers are so real, so unforgettable, you will be haunted by them the rest of your life.

Paperback

First published February 17, 1986

About the author

Richard Krawiec has published two novels, *Time Sharing* and *Faith in What?,* a story collection, *And Fools of God*, two books of poetry, *She Hands Me the Razor* and *Breakdown*, four plays, two young adult biographies, and book reviews and feature articles for national publications. *Time Sharing* was a *Publisher's Weekly Recommended* selection, and made the*Village Voice Real Life Rock Top Ten*.*She Hands Me the Razor* was one of only 17 poetry books nominated for a 2012 SIBA Award. *Yao Ming: Gentle Giant* was cited as one of the Best Young Adult Books of the Year by the Pennsylvania Libraries Association.

Krawiec has won fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the NC Arts Council(twice) and Pennsylvania Council on the arts. His work appears in *Shenandoah, sou'wester, Witness, Cream City Review, Florida Review, West Branch, NC Literary Review, 2Rivers View, Connotation*, and dozens of other literary magazines. He has edited anthologies featuring the work of Dorianne Laux, Marge Piercy, Reynolds Price, Lee Smith, Allan Gurganus, Elizabeth Spencer, Fred Chappell, Kathryn Stripling Byer, Joe Millar, Michael Chitwood, Jaki Shelton Green and others.

He teaches Beginning Intermediate and Advanced Fiction Writing online for UNC Chapel Hill, for which he wrote the curriculum and won their Excellence in Teaching Award. As founder of Jacar Press,a Community Active Press, he
publishes books of poetry. He has worked extensively with people in homeless shelters, abused women and children, literacy students, prisoners, immigrants, and others who have been traditionally excluded from literary programming.

Reviews

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Filled with a lot of awful people doing awful things in absurdly comedic ways, except as it went on the comedy became less funny and more of a horrific commentary on the cycles of poverty, abuse, and generational trauma.

[Richard Locke Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best and most painful books I've ever read.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not much happens in this book, but it captures something that is rarely captured in literature.

Time Sharing is a poignant, realistic look at the decision-making/thought processes of truly dumb people - namely, in the actions of our hero Artie and his love interest Jolene.

Often, in literature, dumb people are presented as unaware spiritual guideposts (see Stephen King), happy-go-lucky comic relief (see any comic movie ever made) or tragic, accidental monsters (see John Steinbeck). Here, in the form of Artie and Jolene, they are the main focus of the story.

This book really gets dumb right.