Graveyard Shift at the Lemonade Stand

by Tim Bowling

The first collection of short stories from award-winning author Tim Bowling, exploring childhood, work, and aging.


Set on the west coast of British Columbia and in Edmonton, the fifteen stories in this collection focus on moments of between parents and their children, between men and women, between humans and the natural world. In this collection that’s every bit as thoughtful and masterful as his past work, Tim Bowling explores the passing of time and the (sometimes desperate) desire for meaning to return, with depth and flashes of humour.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Canada

275 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2025

Reviews

[Mish Middelmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of several new reads I gleaned from the Globe and Mail's top Canadian books of 2025. I have been taken aback by how strong the threads of ennui and desolation are amongst the (apparently to me) white Canadian authors on the list.

This excerpt is not a random example:

Increasingly, he saw his students as motionless structures of exposed nerve-endings, and himself as a robotic fount of useless knowledge.

This story in particular explores just how hopeless and empty life can get, and ends with official reward for emptiness and fakery.

It's not as though I think emptiness does not exist, or that fakery doesn't get rewarded, but I didn't much enjoy reading about it.

[Ella Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favorite Stories
- As Green as the Grass Grows, spooky and strongly emotional.
- The Key of Life, realistic and contained many well developed characters.
- The Librarian’s Dilemma, I really enjoyed the librarian’s point of view.
- The Horses of Darkness, completely changed the way I viewed horses and made me sad.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I thought the plots were well-rounded and the characters were rich and intriguing.

[Theresa Shea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bowling has published in many genres (poetry, novels, and essays), but this is his debut book of short fiction, and I hope we will see more. In Graveyard Shift at the Lemonade Stand (fabulous title!), Bowling demonstrates a writerly skill honed by three-and-a-half decades of working on his craft. The stories are poignant, funny, and intelligent, and he is comfortable in the form. I laughed out loud in "Bartleby the Sessional," will never forget the image of the young horse in "The Horses of Darkness," and re-lived some of my own childhood sporting memories in "Kapelznik in the Bottom of the Ninth." In short, the book is entertaining and moving.