Hill, John (Royal Holloway University London UK)

Harbors of the Moon Hill, John (Royal Holloway University London UK)

Depraved and insane. Destitute and frantic. Unwholesome and shattered. Characteristics not for the faint of heart, but integral to the vivid portrayals of the marginalized populations living on the fringe of society.

Harbors of the Moon's stories are unconcerned with political correctness, beginning with an look at the comings and goings of a seedy motel and culminating with a minimum-wage laborer's stark observations of his repellent bosses. In between, you'll find tales of the oddballs living in American subculture: a Sicilian father ruminating on his Sugar Daughter's failed engagement, while a tacky nightclub regular settles down with a suspiciously effeminate momma's boy, to name a few. Connecting them all is a desperate need for something--human connection, however unsavory, or even a sense of meaning in a seemingly absurd world.

Harbors of the Moon offers a stunning examination of the authentic human experience, in a style reminiscent of literary great Charles Bukowski.