Neighbors of Nothing by Jason Ockert
eighbors of Nothing examines characters who find themselves searching for new identities in worlds they no longer recognize. In "Piebald," parents assume the identity of their dead son; in "Everyday Murders," the sole survivor of a violent crime attempts to confront an online entrepreneur who sells football-style serial killer jerseys. Through odd, compelling, and sometimes futile gestures, these characters struggle against guilt and grief and the seemingly endless stretch of days. Influenced by absurdism and the southern gothic,Neighbors of Nothing offers intelligent and heartrending insights into the complex human struggle to exist with purpose.
Publication Date: November 19, 2013
Paperback: 225 pages
ISBN: 9781938604478
Also available as an eBook
eighbors of Nothing examines characters who find themselves searching for new identities in worlds they no longer recognize. In "Piebald," parents assume the identity of their dead son; in "Everyday Murders," the sole survivor of a violent crime attempts to confront an online entrepreneur who sells football-style serial killer jerseys. Through odd, compelling, and sometimes futile gestures, these characters struggle against guilt and grief and the seemingly endless stretch of days. Influenced by absurdism and the southern gothic,Neighbors of Nothing offers intelligent and heartrending insights into the complex human struggle to exist with purpose.
Publication Date: November 19, 2013
Paperback: 225 pages
ISBN: 9781938604478
Also available as an eBook
eighbors of Nothing examines characters who find themselves searching for new identities in worlds they no longer recognize. In "Piebald," parents assume the identity of their dead son; in "Everyday Murders," the sole survivor of a violent crime attempts to confront an online entrepreneur who sells football-style serial killer jerseys. Through odd, compelling, and sometimes futile gestures, these characters struggle against guilt and grief and the seemingly endless stretch of days. Influenced by absurdism and the southern gothic,Neighbors of Nothing offers intelligent and heartrending insights into the complex human struggle to exist with purpose.
Publication Date: November 19, 2013
Paperback: 225 pages
ISBN: 9781938604478
Also available as an eBook
PRAISE FOR NEIGHBORS OF NOTHING
“Beautiful stories, searching and generous. Ockert never ceases to astound.” –Junot Díaz
“Ockert's stories make me feel grateful to have eyeballs—if you want to be surprised, expanded, devastated, delighted, then Neighbors of Nothing is what you should be reading. His plots are hair-raisingly original, his humor is feverish and dark, his language soars. And yet no matter what altitude of weird Ockert achieves here, his imaginary worlds are always populated by real people, characters who matter deeply to each other, and to their readers.” –Karen Russell
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jason Ockert is the author of Rabbit Punches and Neighbors of Nothing. His stories have appeared in many journals and anthologies, he was the recipient of the 2010 Dzanc Short Story Collection Contest, and was a nominee for the Shirley Jackson Short Fiction Award. He teaches creative writing at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, South Carolina.
