Pulp and Paper

"e;I glanced out the window as my train pulled into the station and saw the girl who killed my son."e; So begins Josh Rolnick's powerful debut collection of eight stories, which utilizes a richly focused narrative style accenting the unavoidable tragedies of life while revealing the grace and dignity with which people learn to deal with them. The stories-four set in New Jersey and four in New York-span the wide geographic tapestry of the area and demonstrate the interconnectedness of both the neighboring states and the residents who inhabit them. In "e;Funnyboy,"e; a grief-stricken Levi Stern struggles to come to terms with the banality of his son's accidental death at the hands of Missy Jones, high school cheerleader. In "e;Pulp and Paper,"e; two neighbors, Gail Denny and Avery Mayberry, attempt to escape a toxic spill resulting from a train derailment when a moment of compassion alters both their futures forever. "e;Innkeeping"e; features a teenager's simmering resentment toward the burgeoning relationship between his widowed mother and a long-term hotel guest. "e;The Herald"e; introduces us to Dale, a devoted reporter on a small-town newspaper, desperately striving to break a big-time story to salvage his career and his ego. A teenager deals with the inconceivable results of his innocent act before an ice hockey game in "e;Big Lake."e; And in "e;The Carousel,"e; a Coney Island carousel operator confronts the fading memories of a world that once overflowed with grandeur and promise. Throughout, Rolnick's characters search for a firm footing while wrestling with life's hardships, finding hope and redemption in the simple yet uncommon willingness to act. Pulp and Paper captures lightning in a bottle, excavating the smallest steps people take to move beyond grief, heartbreak, and failure-conjuring the subtle, fragile moments when people are not yet whole, but no longer quite as broken.