Terry Tallent recounts numerous misadventures inspired by his own life in this sometimes humorous, sometimes heart-rending collection of 44 short stories. Some of the tales are interconnected and woven among free-standing yarns. Diverse themes are explored throughout. Among them: the game of pool, a California beach town in the 1950's, romance in the South Seas, an unsolved library murder, surfing in the early 60's, the rise of modern-day Berlin after reunification, sea turtle biology, Samoan culture, Poe's ominous bird of yore, coitus interruptus, bohemians & debauchery. The collection's...