Letters From Inside: The Best of Mike Maggio

by Mike Maggio

A woman sacrifices her children to save herself in an act of desperation. A political prisoner succumbs to his worst fears in a struggle to survive. A politician disappears in the midst of a reelection campaign only to be replaced by a cockroach who has assumed his likeness.

Letters from Inside is a collection of stories that defy logic and yet tap into unrecognized truths about modern society: a twenty-first century vision of existential dysphoria. Heavily influenced by Kafka and Gogol, Mike Maggio confronts realities that stare us daily in the face, realities we blithely ignore as we blindly go about our daily lives.

Written over a period of 30 years, this collection of stories gathers the best of Maggio’s work, including the critically acclaimed Suddenly, There Was Harold, which has been called his masterpiece.

296 pages, Paperback

Published October 1, 2019

About the author

Mike Maggio is the author of nine books and has been published both nationally and internationally. His recent novella, The Appointment, was called "quirky and intriguing" as well as "atmospheric and surreal." His forthcoming collection of short stories, "Letters from Inside" is a compilation that spans 30 years is being called "a treasure chest" with "an ironic moral bite."

Coming soon

Reviews

[kirsty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a strange and sometimes disturbing collection of short stories but I was totally there for it and I loved them.

I loved the writing and each story was so compelling and disturbing. I really enjoyed how each story was a discussion on society and the way we live - I mean we all know politicians are cockroaches right? 😂

I really liked them and although short and sweet it has definitely made me want to delve more into the authors mind and read more of his work.

I would highly recommend if you like short stories or creepy reads

[Sonja Charters · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this strange and eclectic mix of short stories that really gave me Kafka and Marsh vibes.

Its a well known fact that writers write what they know so when it comes to stories like this that have come from deep inside, it's easy to know what you want to write....but how to get this into a cohesive story that translates that for others to read I feel would be immensely difficult. But this was done brilliantly here.

The stories were strange and creepy but also so insightful.
Having been written over a 30 year period, it was great to see how they developed and the differences between the themes.
Commenting on society and the way of life, I wonder whether some of these actually predicted how society would move on too.

I particularly loved the politician who was turned into a cockroach - very profound!

This was a super quick read and I'd have loved it to have been longer. It was great to put down in-between other reads and come back to and not spend any time lost.
The stories were short enough to read during a break or lunch time and they were interesting and well written.

I really enjoyed this introduction to this author and will be looking for more to add to my tbr.

[Daisy Hollands · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating collection of short stories. Although each one is brief to read, they each take some thinking about. They are very thought provoking and meaningful, taking a very broad view of society and human nature. Some of it makes for uncomfortable reading but personally I like a challenging read and I am always keen on a bit of introspection. I wouldn’t say this is the easiest of reads but it’s a very worthwhile one. Highly recommended but only if you are in relatively good headspace.