The Second Rip. (Original writing)

This work is a collection of three short stories. Each story exists as an independent work, yet they are all three connected in that each explores the nature of desire and its formative effects on personal identity. The title story, "The Second Rip," is about a teenage boy who is obsessed with, yet in no way feels worthy of, his sister's best friend. "Kissels," the second story, tells of a young girl coming to terms with the consequences of her family's resentments during a visit with her aunts. The final story, "Waiting for Emma," is about a man trying to construct a permanent memory of his girlfriend, three days after she has died. In each instance, the central character is to some extent defined by the object of his or her desire, causing an essential displacement in that character's sense of personal identity.