How to Get Home: A Novella and Stories - Hardcover

Lott, Bret

2.9

10 ratings by Goodreads

9780895871404: How to Get Home: A Novella and Stories

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0895871408 ISBN 13: 9780895871404

Publisher: Blair, 1996

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Stories depict the precariousness of everyday life at home and in the office

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From the Publisher:

The Saga of JEWEL Continues in HOW TO GET HOME
Readers may be surprised to learn that an entire section of JEWEL was cut by the author, who decided that "enough tragedy had been visited on Jewel." For those interested in the story of Jewel and her mentally handicapped daughter, that section, now a novella called "After Leston," can be found in Lott's collection of short stories, HOW TO GET HOME. In the novella, Jewel has realized the dream of moving her family to California in search of a better life that will afford more opportunities for her daughter, Brenda Kay. The devotion and sacrifice of Jewel and her husband are told in a sensitive and compelling miniature sequel to JEWEL.

HOW TO GET HOME also contains sixteen equally good short stories. From a powerful examination of psychological and physical pain in "At the Pharmacy" to the crushed self-esteem of a family man who unexpectedly loses his job in "The Driveway," Lott treats everyday issues with a tender quality that rings true to readers. His characters are ordinary people who struggle with the kinds of problems that we all encounter, and in this way, his stories are small, useful lessons in coping.

From the Back Cover:

From the critically acclaimed author of "Jewel," "Reed's Beach," and "A Dream of Old Leaves," comes a new collection of short stories that explores the dangers and trials of everyday life. The people in these stories come from working lives, lives where the struggle for home and family is waged daily; lives where an ominous slip of paper on the office desk or a broken glass left lying on the kitchen floor signal the precariousness of what is held dear.

From diners to waiting rooms to apartment complexes, the characters in "How to Get Home" struggle with disasters. But these are the quiet disasters of life--lost jobs, divorce, illness, death. And as these characters come face to face with these calamities, and struggle to overcome them, they become real.

The opening novella, "After Leston," reintroduces Jewel Hilburn, the indomitable title character from "Jewel." In this poignant story, Jewel must come to terms with the cost of moving her family to California to create a better life for her retarded daughter. In the process, she learns a lesson in love that only her sacrifice could allow her to see.

"How to Get Home" is about Paul, a man just starting a job in a new town. While moving his family into this new apartment, Paul is stricken with a mysterious illness. As his world becomes confined to his dark hospital room, he realizes that life continues without him, and he begins to understand that he is not as necessary as he once believed.

In "The Day After Tomorrow," a financially strapped couple decides to check into a local motel to escape an oppressive heat wave. The plan seems to work until a strange desk clerk, a broken air conditioner, and a spoiled romantic interlude in the pool shows them that, perhaps, escape is impossible.

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