Rag Pickers

by Blaine Newton

A sinister note sewn in the lining of a vintage jacket from a second-hand store compels a young woman to make changes in her life. A brother discovers his dying twin has been burying jars of coins in an attempt to create mystery in a neighbourhood. On his 43rd birthday, a man realizes that the critical events of his life occur in years when his age is a prime number. A woman reconfigures her stick figure on the back window of the family minivan in an act of defiance and reinvention.

Rag Pickers is a collection of eighteen short stories that challenge the essential loneliness of the human condition. Blaine Newton writes with wry humour, deep observation, and an off-kilter perspective, bringing his skill as a playwright to crackling dialogue and polished prose. Well-crafted, heartbreaking, and really, really funny, this is a book for anyone who has ever felt alone.

185 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 15, 2025

Reviews

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed reading RAG PICKERS by Blaine Newton! This debut short story collection features eighteen stories and overall they were good. There were some stories that I enjoyed more than other especially those that ended with a “pop”. I enjoyed the humour in several of the stories. My fave stories were Last Words which was about an author and The Reluctant Poet which was about a poet and mentioned a poetry reading at the local library. This is now the eleventh book I’ve read from indie Canadian publisher @uofcalgarypress Brave & Brilliant series and I’ve enjoyed them all.

Thank you to the publisher and ZG Stories for my copy!

[Alberta Views Magazine]

According to philosopher Byung-Chul Han, “we no longer have any narratives that provide meaning and orientation for our lives,” as storytelling in the digital age is increasingly reduced to mere sound bites of distracted and disconnected information. Reading a short-fiction collection such as Blaine Newton’s Rag Pickers might be one kind of remedy. As its title suggests, the tales aren’t bent on ambitious puffery but are instead humble—and sometimes hilarious—pieces cut from the cloth of humanity. Newton is an award-winning playwright, and his first book features characters engaging with each other in a way that now, sadly, can appear old-fashioned.

Review by Catherine Owen
Full review at: https://albertaviews.ca/rag-pickers/

[David Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

"short stories that challenge the essential loneliness of the human condition"

This description on the back cover is one of the truest descriptions of what you are about to experience that i have ever read when skimming the back cover.