{"product_id":"thrillville-usa-stories-9781982155612","title":"Thrillville, USA: Stories","description":"\u003cb\u003eA raw and remarkable debut story collection concerning substance abuse, societal alienation, and doomed romance from a writer whose work has appeared in prestigious literary journals including \u003ci\u003eThe Paris Review\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAn amusement park employee overdoses after eating the gel of a fentanyl patch. Two homeless men discover the body of a drowned woman. A sister encounters a dangerous stranger while driving her brother to rehab. Ex-lovers seek to rekindle their relationship with the aid of an earthquake. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn the nine masterful stories that comprise \u003ci\u003eThrillville, USA\u003c\/i\u003e, debut author Taylor Koekkoek depicts Americans living on the margins of society, seeking escape from isolation and underemployment in drugs, booze, and self-destructive relationships. While the action is set largely in the rural Pacific Northwest, the characters' malaise and disaffectedness is endemic of the country as a whole. The title takes its name from the aforementioned amusement park, but Thrillville is as much a state of mind as an actual place--a sardonic commentary on contemporary America consumed by opioid addiction, social media obsession, wealth inequality and political polarization. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eYet as haunting as these stories are, they are not hopeless. Gorgeously written, they share a transcendental quality--an acknowledgment of and appreciation for the beauty in all things, even the most profane and grotesque.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Simon \u0026amp; Schuster\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 03\/21\/2023\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781982155612\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 208\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.09lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.38h x 5.50w x 0.52d","brand":"Taylor Koekkoek","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42607930966197,"sku":"9781982155612","price":14.44,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_f5e0eec3-9150-471f-b5d6-e88982a456ee.jpg?v=1674574439","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/thrillville-usa-stories-9781982155612","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}