The same dark humor, morally ambiguous subject matter, and sophisticated treatment found in Szeman\'s novels and poetry collections are present in her stories.
Jerome Emiliani Comes to the Church Picnic" is reluctantly thrust into adulthood by a staggering "initiation." Equally mournful and outraged, the mother of a suspected serial kill.
The spunky, unforgettable narrator of "St.
The narrator of "Me and Mom and JFK," now a grown man, recalls his childhood, when he competed with President Kennedy, before and after his assassination, for his own mother\'s love.
Sleepless and agitated, Roman Prefect Pontius Pilate is plagued by nightmares, doubts, and crumbling self-confidence after his unsettling encounter with Jesus in "Slaying the Dragon." As in Szeman\'s other work, the universal themes of family, love, loss, loyalty, and betrayal are visited in this collection as well. "Passion Play" recounts Judas\' and Mary Magdalene\'s attraction to and avoidance of each other, as they struggle with their mutual love for Jesus.
Wandering in the Wilderness after escaping Pharaoh\'s enslavement in Egypt, the Hebrews begin to doubt their leaders, Moses and Aaron, as well as God Himself, in "Rebellion in the Promised Land." Jesus, his followers, and the Romans who occupied Judaea during Jesus\' lifetime frequently appear, involved in encounters not mentioned in biblical stories.
Thirty years after the end of the violently protested 1960-70\'s "conflict," the Vietnam War comes to a small town\'s Convenience Store in the surprisingly affecting and disturbing "VC in the USA." Biblical characters populate many of the tales.
Vincent, "Hunchback of the Midwest" and member of a traveling freak-show, regales his audience with tales of conquests over beautiful women, all the while longing for the one beauty he fears he will never possess. "Bus Man," in the story of the same name, re-invents himself as a superhero after an unexpectedly frightening incident on his daily route.
Quirky characters abound.
The same dark humor, morally ambiguous subject matter, and sophisticated treatment found in Szeman\'s novels and poetry collections are present in her stories
