The Book of Lost Fathers: Stories (Johns Hopkins: Poetry and Fiction)

"Why is it the worst things happen when you're most relaxed and your head's empty of everything serious?" These words, from the narrator of the story "Grief," are at the heart of The Book of Lost Fathers, the new collection of short fiction by Robley Wilson. These stories depict ordinary, recognizable people dealing with loneliness, loss, and mortality. A woman and her father experience an earthquake, and the incident reinforces the frailty of the dying man. A man must confront his fiancée's past when he realizes the identity of the "stranger" they meet on vacation. A best man arrives late for his friend's wedding, only to learn that the groom has died hours before. Combining an evocative and compassionate style with familiar characters and enduring messages, Wilson treats fundamental questions of love, suffering, and humanity. His "lost fathers" provide a common thread that weaves together stories about fathers, husbands, and lovers, past and present -- and the women whose lives they change.