Blues and Trouble: Twelve Stories

By Tom Piazza

Book Overview

Exploring the diverse landscape of American life, the stories in Blues and Trouble: Twelve Stories capture the lives of people caught between circumstance and their own natures or on the run from fate, from a Jewish couple encountering a dealer in Nazi memorabilia to the troubled family of a Gulf Coast fisherman awaiting a hurricane. Tom Piazza's debut short story collection, originally published in 1996, heralded the arrival of a startlingly original and vital presence in American fiction and letters. Set in Memphis, New Orleans, Florida, Texas, New York City, and elsewhere, the stories echo voices from Ernest Hemingway to Robert Johnson in their sharp eye for detail and their emotional impact. New to this volume is an introduction written by the author. Drawing themes, forms, and stylistic approaches from blues and country music, these stories present a tough, haunting vision of a landscape where the social and spiritual ground shifts constantly underfoot.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1496841921
• ISBN13: 9781496841926
• Release Date: September 2022
• Publisher: University Press of Mississippi
• Length: 164 Pages
• Weight: 0.47 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

fiction, people, melodies

a wonderful and original collection of tales that span the country looking deep into the hearts and lives of people who are waiting, or lost, or looking for something they secretly know they won't find. piazza is a renowned music writer, and whether explicit or not, these stories have a bluesy, riffy melody playing throughout them.

Great American Personality Landscape

A wonderful cadre of short stories, highlighting the day to day struggles of relationships caught with a keen eye and sharp wit. Especially enjoyable was the story of two college poets and the change of their relationship due to the nervous breakdown of one of them. A kinder Raymond Carver. Great read.