Staff Picks Stories
Staff Picks Stories by George Singleton, published by LSU Press on March 6, 2019, is a collection of 216 pages written in English. This book presents a series of loosely connected stories set in and around the fictional town of Steepleburg, South Carolina. The narratives feature a range of sympathetic, oddball characters who find themselves in absurd and surreal situations, exploring themes of southern history with a blend of humor and poignancy.
Readers will encounter a variety of scenarios, including a young boy visiting his father’s ex-girlfriends on Father’s Day, a koan-speaking uncle solving an arson case during a pancake breakfast, and a former geology professor grappling with his past while sharing a cab with haunting figures from history. Singleton’s storytelling draws on elements of fiction and humor, creating a unique atmosphere that reflects both familiarity and alienation. This edition showcases Singleton’s ability to craft individual tales that resonate while contributing to a cohesive collection.
Official synopsis Publisher
It’s Father’s Day 1972 and a young boy’s dad takes him to visit a string of unimpressive ex-girlfriends that could have been his mother; the unconventional detective work of a koan-speaking, Kung Fu–loving uncle solves a case of arson during a pancake breakfast; and a former geology professor, recovering from addiction, finds himself sharing a taxicab with specters from a Jim Crow–era lynching. Set in and around the fictional town of Steepleburg, South Carolina, the loosely tied stories in George Singleton’s Staff Picks place sympathetic, oddball characters in absurd, borderline surreal situations that slowly reveal the angst of southern history with humor and bite.
In the tradition of Donald Barthelme, T. C. Boyle, Flannery O’Connor, and Raymond Carver, Singleton creates lingering, darkly comedic tales by drawing from those places where familiarity and alienation coexist. A remarkable and distinct effort from an acclaimed chronicler of the South, Staff Picks reaffirms Singleton’s gift for crafting short story collections that both deliver individual gems and shine as a whole.
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