Ten Stories - Softcover

Cumbo, Paul

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0988208628 ISBN 13: 9780988208629

Publisher: One Lane Bridge, 2013

Synopsis

INSIDE TEN STORIES...

A young girl at the zoo comes face-to-face with a four-hundred-pound gorilla that seems to be in on her guilty secret.

When they steal a bike from a reclusive neighbor's shed, three middle school boys discover a history of tragic loss in their Adirondack town.

A collegiate swimmer who's never been fooled by boys discovers that she's fooled herself over one: the young philosophy professor who swims in the university pool.

When his older cousin meets a seductive woman in a 1969 Thunderbird, a boy gets a revealing look at the thrill of teenage life.

A young state trooper carries a diamond ring in his pocket across an Arizona desert highway, hesitant to make his move, until circumstances speed things up.

A veteran literature teacher comes to grips with the true power of final chapters on his last day in the classroom.

Awash in the excitement of a lucrative first job, a fresh-faced college graduate gets a dose of reality on the streets of New York.

Set in varied landscapes, these ten short stories provide glimpses of humanity from a multitude of angles. They tell of men, women, children, and families at different stages of life’s journey: beginnings, endings, and stops along the way. Each portrays ordinary people at extraordinary moments – both joyful and tragic – that shape their experience of the world.

About this title

About the Author:

Paul Cumbo is a high school English teacher and rowing coach. Publisher’s Weekly called his first book, Boarding Pass, “a tender coming-of-age novel, evocative of A Separate Peace.” He lives in Buffalo, New York with his wife and son.

Review:

"Cumbo's stories are tender and well-crafted...they ably capture everyday life and the unexpected lessons that come with self-discovery." - Publishers Weekly Select"Cumbo certainly delivers...ruminative, true-to-life fiction. Elegant writing..." - Kirkus Reviews"Cumbo, at a very young age, shows himself to be a superior stylist, writing imagery that stays with the reader long after his book has been set aside." - Peter Johnson, Paterson Prize Winning Author of What Happened

About this edition

• Publisher: One Lane Bridge
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0988208628
• ISBN 13: 9780988208629
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 164