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Working Through This
An original short story collection by
Matt Lydon
From his entrance into the workforce, Matt Lydon has been taking notes. Lucky for us, they've all come together to create the stories behind Working Through This . Whether he is discussing the nuances of restaurant life or the perils of working overtime, Lydon has seen it all.
Both factual at times and fictional at others, Lydon's stories offer a fun and insightful perspective of what it means to show up and work, even under the most interesting of circumstances.
Matt Lydon
From his entrance into the workforce, Matt Lydon has been taking notes. Lucky for us, they've all come together to create the stories behind Working Through This . Whether he is discussing the nuances of restaurant life or the perils of working overtime, Lydon has seen it all.
Both factual at times and fictional at others, Lydon's stories offer a fun and insightful perspective of what it means to show up and work, even under the most interesting of circumstances.
176 pages, Paperback
Published July 17, 2018
5 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 16, 2018
Matt Lydon holds true (mostly) to the theme of this collection of short stories. Vocation holds a central or peripheral role in most of the stories - particularly the ten tales in the first section of the book, "More than a Skosh." That section, "sub-titled "Semi-Auto-Bio Work Stories," presents a chronological assortment of stories about Lydon's various occupational endeavors from the age of twelve working as a bingo runner in a Catholic church in the Philadelphia area through age thirty-four just prior to starting a teaching job in Chicago. By turns humorous and bittersweet, Lydon traces his development from a kid hustling to make a buck into a young man making the painful decision to leave a relationship and relocate for work. As with any good story, the theme of work is a backdrop for the observations about human relationships - a casual conversation with a forgetful nun, negotiating the priority of earning more money on overtime v. getting to the theater to do work that is fulfulling, the dissolution of romantic relationships, and the shock of September 11, 2001.
The second section of his collection, "Only a Kernel" is much less centered around protagonists' work lives and sometimes wanders into the supernatural and the anthropomorphic. Strong stories from this section include "Wrap Game," "Training on the Shadow Shift," and "Dennis Gallagher, Shop Steward Local 8."
However, the stories in "More than a Skosh" are stronger overall, in particular "Getting Lifted in Pennsauken," "Trouble in the Land,""Chrysalis," and "Before Chicago."
Lydon relates these slice of life vignettes with skill, and this anthology is worth checking out.
The second section of his collection, "Only a Kernel" is much less centered around protagonists' work lives and sometimes wanders into the supernatural and the anthropomorphic. Strong stories from this section include "Wrap Game," "Training on the Shadow Shift," and "Dennis Gallagher, Shop Steward Local 8."
However, the stories in "More than a Skosh" are stronger overall, in particular "Getting Lifted in Pennsauken," "Trouble in the Land,""Chrysalis," and "Before Chicago."
Lydon relates these slice of life vignettes with skill, and this anthology is worth checking out.
August 14, 2018
I was given a free copy (ARC) of this book for review, and am doing so voluntarily.
A mixed hodgepodge of different stories. Some believable, some obviously not, some silly, some just crass, and all mixed genre.
I did enjoy the samurai story.
A mixed hodgepodge of different stories. Some believable, some obviously not, some silly, some just crass, and all mixed genre.
I did enjoy the samurai story.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews