Sappho and Other Stories

By R.J. Arturi

A former truck stop prostitute lives out her remaining days sequestered with dozens of stray cats. A physically uninhibited registered nurse seizes the heart of the town mayor, only to keep him emotionally at bay. A rotund and lonely woman finds her calling in writing erotic fiction. In the seemingly serene town of Sappho in Washington State, the heart's longings and the darker pulls of human desire commingle in ways that personify the complex nature of sex and psyche long ago mined by Greek lyric poetess Sappho who inspired the township's name. Such is the literary thrust of Sappho and Other Stories, the debut collection of short fiction by RJ Arturi, which focuses on the emotional tension of seemingly ordinary denizens of a small Pacific Northwest American town. Arturi's concise yet descriptive writing style fully develops the small town characters and their desires to experience everything within and outside their limitations. The short stories are imbued with the personal conflicts and emotions of diverse, complex, and compelling characters who challenge their personal boundaries regarding passion, sexuality, integrity, sensuality, and religious fidelities. With a haunting dramatic undertone, the collection weaves light humor and sharp irony through the paradoxical lives of its interconnected citizens. Throughout, the dalliances between unlikely partners emerge around every corner and murderous impulses erupt. As events and characters converge, and sometimes violently clash, the collection crafts a textured cloth of modern-day America, one conflicting citizen at a time.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1475250533
• ISBN13: 9781475250534
• Release Date: December 2013
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 342 Pages
• Weight: 1.03 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.0" x 0.9" x 5.3"