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This collection of short stories covers many aspects of life, but most stories focus on a relationship defined by a point of tension. There is a young boy whose mother has a drug habit, a bright young man with a gambling issue, and an artist obsessed with a sex worker. “Marley’s Mom” does a great job showing the story through the lens of a neglected child who loves his parent. “Mr. Lewis & The Lucky Zebra” is reminiscent of a Twilight Zone episode with just enough of a fantastic twist in a story seated in reality that readers will be hooked. The title story is the longest of the bunch, with several parts. Interestingly, this story, which focuses on a sex worker, is the most romantic and wholesome of the bunch.
Although the collection as a whole does have some interrelated themes, these stories aren’t tied together in a way to form a thematic whole. Rather, the stories are self-contained and invite a reader with a few minutes to spare to take one in and think about it. Pierre-Louis has clearly put in a lot of work and time polishing these stories to have the kind of delivery he is intending. The writing shows that he is familiar with the short story form, especially the short, short format. The author shows he has a grasp of the material and, like any artist developing his craft, will undoubtedly produce even deeper and richer works in the future. Readers who like modern short stories will quickly work through this collection and likely follow the author as they anticipate his next work.