Be Surrounded by Luxury

This original collection of stories uses a variety of voices to explore the experiences of ordinary people trapped in unusual situations. From the man whose day unwinds when he finds a button from his former fiancee's blouse, to the couple whose apartment building is broken into at the same time that their relationship is falling apart, these stories examine the tension that eddies beneath everyday experiences. In the collection, a lonely man finds himself strangely interested in a cancer patient, a teenager who cuts grass at the local mental hospital is disturbed by his lack of rebelliousness, an adopted daughter attempts to navigate the difficult meeting between her mother and her birth mother, a retiree climbs through the ceiling of his office to spy on his own retirement party, a recent college graduate argues with a former friend who won't leave his apartment, and a boy attempts to snap out of his depression while attending the birthday party for his housebound aunt and her blind son. Although the characters and stories vary greatly from one another, they are united by their close examination of quotidian struggles.