Such Stuff - Softcover

Desaulnier, Russ

Softcover

ISBN 13: 9798886790085

Publisher: Luminare Press, 2022

Synopsis

This book begins with the back story of the Malones, two young brothers who leave Western Canada during the Depression in the 30s to make their fortune in England but end up in California after the war. Thereafter, the stories take place in California and encounter the lives of assorted narrators looking for love, meaning and purpose. In the last five pieces of the collection, older narrators are reflecting and seeking to terms for their lot. Overall, the collection can be seen as a fictional journey in the zeitgeist of California in the latter half of the 20th century, the golden land of dreams.

“Such Stuff is a beautiful story collection that offers its readers a wellspring of fictive delights: family histories; youthful adventures; thoughtful reminiscences; vignettes both ruminative and laugh out loud funny, and all of it rendered in clear and vivid prose. Russ Desaulnier is a writer upon whom nothing is lost, and these stories are all to our gain.” —Bret Lott, author of the nationally-acclaimed novel Jewel and the story collections A Dream of Old Leaves and The Difference Between Men and Women

“Russ Desaulnier has graced us with a third collection of well-crafted short stories. Such Stuff is just that, the stuff of real life—reflections on his life told through the lens of fiction, where truth is best revealed.” —Dan Armstrong, author of the novels Quicksand, Blake College, and Chain of Souls

“I read Such Stuff in only one day because it held my interest. It was well-written and I learned stuff from it. For instance, I learned of the author’s idea about the adventure of work, of local Southern California playboys and their women, of some of the results of date-rape drugs, and of escaping to more rewarding lives. Read this book. Have some fun with it. Hell, you can’t lose.” —Arthur Wild, author of the short story collections What Old Men Think About and A Confusion of Stories

“So much grit from the ’60s to the ’80s is now sandwashed away like dye from blue jeans until a writer like Desaulnier revives the times with the ink of sharp detail and the sweat of bitter-sweet memory. For those old enough to remember, we answer him: ‘Yes, that’s how it was.’” —Chris O’Neill, author of the historical novel Foaling Moon, debuting in early 2023

About this title

About the Author

Russ Desaulnier and his wife Bonnie have lived in Eugene, Oregon for the last twenty-two years. Before that, they lived in Japan where Russ taught at a Japanese university. This is his third collection of stories.

Edition details

• Publisher: Luminare Press
• Publication date: 2022
• Language: English
• ISBN 13: 9798886790085
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 164