Set in the heart of Philadelphia, "Homesick" is an account of lives ruined by very much reality or distorted by a lack thereof. Thirteen loosely connected stories of men and women living life with their fingers crossed - hoping and lying. Some find comfort in the bad habits of love, others in the bad habit of books. Whatever their escape, the city trails them, "like an incompatible accomplice, like a shadow of a different shape." From the center city skyline to the streets of "South Philly," Homesick is a stunning debut collection by Philadelphia's own, M. Ruggiero.