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The Pieta in Ordinary Time: And Other Stories
*What happens when Seattle is destroyed in a nuclear holocaust?
*When all a young boy wants for Christmas is the left hand he lost in an automobile accident the year before?
*When a woman travels to San Diego to commit suicide after the overdose death of her only son?
*When a young man plots to humiliate his attorney father, running for public office, by taking a job in an adult shop?
*When a psychiatrist's bipolar patient invites him to become his copilot when the aliens come back for him in their time-space ship?
*When a priest hears the confession of a serial killer and is helpless to prevent him from killing again?
These and ten other stories are a smorgasbord of short fiction, inviting the reader on a journey of droll humor, philosophical contemplation, suspense, and terror.
Pour yourself a glass of Oregon Pinot or a cup of hot black coffee and enjoy!
*When all a young boy wants for Christmas is the left hand he lost in an automobile accident the year before?
*When a woman travels to San Diego to commit suicide after the overdose death of her only son?
*When a young man plots to humiliate his attorney father, running for public office, by taking a job in an adult shop?
*When a psychiatrist's bipolar patient invites him to become his copilot when the aliens come back for him in their time-space ship?
*When a priest hears the confession of a serial killer and is helpless to prevent him from killing again?
These and ten other stories are a smorgasbord of short fiction, inviting the reader on a journey of droll humor, philosophical contemplation, suspense, and terror.
Pour yourself a glass of Oregon Pinot or a cup of hot black coffee and enjoy!
- GenresFictionShort Stories
226 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 11, 2016
42 people are currently reading
54 people want to read
About the author
William J. Cook
12 books36 followersWilliam Cook is a Connecticut native transplanted to Oregon in 1989. He is a graduate of the State University of New York at Albany, where he received his Master's Degree in Social Work. He spent 37 years as a mental health therapist, and he is now enjoying his retirement with his artist wife.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 16, 2016
The Pieta in Ordinary Time is a collection of 16 atmospheric short stories that explore the dark side of the human condition, but not without at least a touch of grace. Reading these stories felt like a visit to the Twilight Zone (a whole season’s worth). “Imagine if you will,” a priest brought to his knees by a confession too despicable to conscience, a man taunted to madness by a destructive and vengeful bird, a young girl who insists she is pregnant with the Son of God. William Cook’s stories are deeply immersive, highly original, and a whole lot of fun.
August 24, 2017
This is a staggering collection of 16 short stories which explore the darker side of the human condition: death, grief, mortality, mental illness, prejudice, abuse and so forth. It isn’t light reading, but it is powerful stuff: shocking, lurid, hopeful, uplifting.
It’s hard not to compare one story with another when reading a collection. In this case, I won’t say some stories are better than others. Here, some stories simply moved me more than others. Overall, they’re all very good. The title story, The Pieta in Ordinary Time, is nothing short of beautiful. I'm happy to confess I shed an unmanly tear at the end. It’s a story I’ll reread again.
On the surface, many of the stories are deceptively simple. If you scratch that surface, you’ll find richness, intelligence and thoughtful subjects and themes. William J Cook has a talent for understatement, even when he’s writing about ‘big’ subjects like the aftermath of a nuclear attack. He gives the reader space to find and feel their own resonance and meaning in each story.
I’m very grateful I had the chance to read this very fine work, and doubly so because a friend gifted it to me. If they hadn’t, I might not have discovered a book that absolutely deserves to be read by as many people as possible.
It’s hard not to compare one story with another when reading a collection. In this case, I won’t say some stories are better than others. Here, some stories simply moved me more than others. Overall, they’re all very good. The title story, The Pieta in Ordinary Time, is nothing short of beautiful. I'm happy to confess I shed an unmanly tear at the end. It’s a story I’ll reread again.
On the surface, many of the stories are deceptively simple. If you scratch that surface, you’ll find richness, intelligence and thoughtful subjects and themes. William J Cook has a talent for understatement, even when he’s writing about ‘big’ subjects like the aftermath of a nuclear attack. He gives the reader space to find and feel their own resonance and meaning in each story.
I’m very grateful I had the chance to read this very fine work, and doubly so because a friend gifted it to me. If they hadn’t, I might not have discovered a book that absolutely deserves to be read by as many people as possible.
December 4, 2021
I received this for free for Kindle from Amazon at least a year ago. These short stories are very well written! Many have Catholic references and Cook explains in the back that he went to two seminaries. He was a mental health provider and is a fisherman, which is evident in the short story The Enfield Dam, where the way to walk correctly across a dam is critical information. He tackles hard subjects and I can imagine that any of these would have been fine novels.
My favorite was Oyster Drill. I never knew what one was and it's a creepy little bugger. Oyster drills secrete an enzyme to soften an oyster's shell, then drill pin-sized holes through the shell to reach the oyster's soft parts inside.
Now think about that for a minute from the side of the oyster. You're doing well whatever an oyster does and then you hear this noise. It's coming closer. There's nowhere you can go. You know once the hole is opened, you will literally be lunch. The scariest movie for an oyster? Attack of the Oyster Drills.
Always a pleasure to find a new author!
My favorite was Oyster Drill. I never knew what one was and it's a creepy little bugger. Oyster drills secrete an enzyme to soften an oyster's shell, then drill pin-sized holes through the shell to reach the oyster's soft parts inside.
Now think about that for a minute from the side of the oyster. You're doing well whatever an oyster does and then you hear this noise. It's coming closer. There's nowhere you can go. You know once the hole is opened, you will literally be lunch. The scariest movie for an oyster? Attack of the Oyster Drills.
Always a pleasure to find a new author!
December 20, 2016
It's been a while since I read a short story collection, and, being out of the habit, I'd probably not have read this one if a friend hadn't gifted it to me. I'm so glad she did!
William J. Cook brings to his writing a keen intelligence, empathy, and a naturalist's enthusiastic and practised eye; but above all he shares his humanity, with both his subjects and the reader.
This is a great collection. I don't want to play favourites; every single piece in this collection is finely written. Nonetheless, for me some went beyond mere excellence; I have to call them sublime. I knew from the opening story 'The Last Refuge', that I had a good book in my hands. Here Cook shows the ability to quietly invest the ordinary with a moving power. The story is dramatic, but the power is all in that quiet revelation of a common humanity.
'Oyster Drill' leaves me wordless. Just read it for yourself.
The title piece, 'The Pieta in Ordinary Time' reads like an ordinary, everyday piece of writing, until you realise how the waves of feelings have gone out with the tide, leaving you standing on the shore of an ocean of tears, overflowing with compassion.
Sandra and the Bean is another understated work (he's really very good at these!) which also contains a poem at once lyrical, rambling, powerful and in the end offering a kind of communion of the soul.
Through his writing Cook models living in a way that is open-eyed, and open-hearted toward our fellow travellers on the journey, and invites his readers to do the same.
My response to being gifted this book, having read it, was to buy a copy for someone else.
Read, share, love.
William J. Cook brings to his writing a keen intelligence, empathy, and a naturalist's enthusiastic and practised eye; but above all he shares his humanity, with both his subjects and the reader.
This is a great collection. I don't want to play favourites; every single piece in this collection is finely written. Nonetheless, for me some went beyond mere excellence; I have to call them sublime. I knew from the opening story 'The Last Refuge', that I had a good book in my hands. Here Cook shows the ability to quietly invest the ordinary with a moving power. The story is dramatic, but the power is all in that quiet revelation of a common humanity.
'Oyster Drill' leaves me wordless. Just read it for yourself.
The title piece, 'The Pieta in Ordinary Time' reads like an ordinary, everyday piece of writing, until you realise how the waves of feelings have gone out with the tide, leaving you standing on the shore of an ocean of tears, overflowing with compassion.
Sandra and the Bean is another understated work (he's really very good at these!) which also contains a poem at once lyrical, rambling, powerful and in the end offering a kind of communion of the soul.
Through his writing Cook models living in a way that is open-eyed, and open-hearted toward our fellow travellers on the journey, and invites his readers to do the same.
My response to being gifted this book, having read it, was to buy a copy for someone else.
Read, share, love.
July 17, 2017
Ordinary time. It’s what the Catholic church calls the bulk of its calendar year; the days and months outside the feasts of Christmas and Easter, and the penance and preparation of Advent and Lent. There is often nothing ordinary about it. It is a time of reflection, inspiration, hope, and sometimes despair. Much like the stories collected within the wonderful “Pieta in Ordinary Time.”
As I read each tale, crafted with wisdom and with empathy, I was left with the impression of a gentle stream, filled with stones of varying shapes and sizes. Some I marveled over, examining from different angles, delighting in their symmetry and beauty. Others left me reflecting how sharp and painful carrying such a burden would have to be. All were different, all were special, all were smoothed and shaped by the clear water of talent flowing over them.
Highly recommended.
As I read each tale, crafted with wisdom and with empathy, I was left with the impression of a gentle stream, filled with stones of varying shapes and sizes. Some I marveled over, examining from different angles, delighting in their symmetry and beauty. Others left me reflecting how sharp and painful carrying such a burden would have to be. All were different, all were special, all were smoothed and shaped by the clear water of talent flowing over them.
Highly recommended.
March 30, 2017
A memorable short story collection. The author has a deft touch. He’s managed to create nicely drawn characters forced to deal with some arduous life challenges.
It isn’t often that a short story sticks with me for years and years. But some of these tales are unforgettable. Including “Confession,” which finds a priest in a confessional with a man who admits murdering a young woman – a breathtaking story. And “Waiting for Sputnik” – about a teenage boy who loses his hand in a car accident with his dad at the wheel, and what that does to the boy and his family. Uncanny insight here. Some of the stories are particularly timely, including “The Last Refuge,” about a Muslim-American man who has lost his wife and daughter in a nuclear holocaust that incinerated Seattle, and who is now on the run in a hate-filled, anti-Muslim America.
Weighty subjects. Great storytelling. I highly recommend William Cook’s short story anthology.
It isn’t often that a short story sticks with me for years and years. But some of these tales are unforgettable. Including “Confession,” which finds a priest in a confessional with a man who admits murdering a young woman – a breathtaking story. And “Waiting for Sputnik” – about a teenage boy who loses his hand in a car accident with his dad at the wheel, and what that does to the boy and his family. Uncanny insight here. Some of the stories are particularly timely, including “The Last Refuge,” about a Muslim-American man who has lost his wife and daughter in a nuclear holocaust that incinerated Seattle, and who is now on the run in a hate-filled, anti-Muslim America.
Weighty subjects. Great storytelling. I highly recommend William Cook’s short story anthology.
September 22, 2020
It is difficult to choose a favourite from these gritty short stories. All brilliant, you are transported to another world in each chapter. The opening 'The Last Refuge' is a Handmaid's Tale meets The Book Thief in a who can the protagonist trust? Who can the reader trust? Kind of way. 'Drum' is a funny and triumphant moment of motherhood. 'Oyster Drill' is an example of one of the many reasons I love reading - I did not know that. I could go on, I think you are getting the picture I am recommending this short story collection to you. I enjoyed The Champions about a nightmare sufferer on his way to Seattle in the early 90s. The Copilot is an awesome look at how, sometimes, you should believe. 'Flicker' about a woodpecker is very entertaining and the end story 'Devotion' is emotional.
March 29, 2021
"The Pieta In Ordinary Time: And Other Stories" by William J. Cook is a collection of short stories that in the inimitable style of the author not only entertains but engages the reader.
This is my second read of one of Mr Cook's books (Catch of the Day) and like the first one I found myself completely captivated with both the characters and locations.
There is a great deal of diversity among the stories which makes for fast enjoyable reading, but bare in mind that this is not fly by night reading. "The Pieta..." is meant to stay with you long after the reading is done. The story "Confession" revolves around the story of a priest who hears the confession of a serial killer and must deal with the realization that he can't stop him from killing again (or can he?).
Beautifully paced the stories move smoothly from beginning to end and from one story to the next. This makes for a wonderful reading experience, another hallmark of the author's skill at writing stories worth reading and remembering.
This is my second read of one of Mr Cook's books (Catch of the Day) and like the first one I found myself completely captivated with both the characters and locations.
There is a great deal of diversity among the stories which makes for fast enjoyable reading, but bare in mind that this is not fly by night reading. "The Pieta..." is meant to stay with you long after the reading is done. The story "Confession" revolves around the story of a priest who hears the confession of a serial killer and must deal with the realization that he can't stop him from killing again (or can he?).
Beautifully paced the stories move smoothly from beginning to end and from one story to the next. This makes for a wonderful reading experience, another hallmark of the author's skill at writing stories worth reading and remembering.
August 13, 2020
A neat collection of interesting stories. Some good, some very good, some not quite so good, but definitely worth the read.
August 22, 2024
I didn’t expect much from this book; after all, it was free. I was blown away by the writing; by the exploration of death without being maudlin, sappy, or macabre; and by the knowledgeable and not derogatory references to the Roman Catholic Church. Every story seemed better than the last and, while they were all different, an awareness of the trials, values, and gift that are life is the thread that holds the whole thing together. William J. Cook has a new fan.
July 20, 2020
This is the first time I've ever written a review before finishing a book.
I'm three stories in and amazed by the depth and wisdom of each vignette.
If you want beautiful stories that make you think, you need to read this book!
I'm three stories in and amazed by the depth and wisdom of each vignette.
If you want beautiful stories that make you think, you need to read this book!
September 15, 2020
Very engaging short stories
The book kept me riveted from start to finish. I read it in one day. Diverse and emotional. Dug deep in a few short pages into emotional topics. I really enjoyed it!
The book kept me riveted from start to finish. I read it in one day. Diverse and emotional. Dug deep in a few short pages into emotional topics. I really enjoyed it!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews