STATED FIRST EDITION 1997 Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill hardcover, Lucia Nevai (Salvation). Over and over, Nevai's characters, from an urbane ex-hippie in Manhattan to a disabled war veteran in rural Louisiana, miss in their attempts to connect with the people they love most.
Worthwhile short stores. Unassuming, clever, and amusing. But characters are a touch melancholy and tend to ask the big questions. If this author had a new novel I wouldn't be reading short stories! Good read that won't keep you up late.
I came across Lucia Nevai in the 2002 New Stories from the South (why don't they publish this series anymore?!), which led me to this little-known gem from Algonquin Books' heyday.