PICTURES OF THE SHARK
– Pamela Painter, author of What If? Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers and Fabrications: New and Selected Stories
“In these gorgeously crafted interlinked stories, Thomas McNeely demonstrates once again an uncanny ability to illuminate the darkest emotional corners of his characters with a vision that is as tender and compassionate as it is unflinching.”
– Antonio Ruiz-Camacho, author of Barefoot Dogs
“With masterful prose, McNeely draws you down into emotional depths where your ambivalence and confusion show you at your most profoundly human. These stories hook you quickly and deeply and keep you even after they end.
– C.W. Smith, author of Steplings, Buffalo Nickel, and Understanding Women
“You got to be where you are to get anyplace else.”
Pictures of the Shark by Thomas H. McNeely is a complex glimpse into events and relationships that shape a person’s rocky transition into adulthood. A damaged household and broken promises can fracture a child into pieces that either remain disparate or are patched together, ultimately forming a profoundly changed life that might not always be for the better.
Pictures of the Shark is a unique novel split into eight short stories that subtly connect and melt into each other, mimicking the stitched together pieces of a cracked life. In Houston, Texas, during a time when a rare snowfall blanketed the city in the mid-1970s and when an aging Elvis was still the King, Buddy was growing up in an imperfect household that is first tense with animosity and then empty of a distant father yet always heavy with sadness, oppression, and antipathy. The ‘70s were a tumultuous time for almost everyone, and for Buddy, life was a minefield of hormones, ambiguity, and mangled dreams.
This set of short stories is melancholy yet mesmerizing in its portrait of harsh betrayals, poor choices, and the inability to feel secure in skin that is destined never to truly fit. While the overall plot settles on Buddy and his parents, other connected characters orbit this collection, rounding out the microcosms of lives that are relatable yet foreign, or perhaps we want them to feel foreign because these lives are honestly flawed, flayed, and often grotesque in the wake of their hard-earned wreckage.
Grab a copy of Pictures of the Shark and hitch a ride to Houston and other Texas locales and all the way to Universal Studios in Hollywood to take pictures of that infamous shark, but this will not be a carefree vacation or romantic getaway for anyone. This book is raw and heartbreaking, but it is engaging as well because a messy life is still worth living, even if it is only viewed through rosy gossamer or a drunken haze. in Pictures of the Shark, McNeely captures the authentic essence of these cohesive lives with panache, sincerity, and extraordinary talent.
Enter the giveaway below on or before July 15, 2022, for a chance to win some fabulous prizes.
I received a free copy of this book from Lone Star Book Blog Tours in exchange for my honest review.
2 winners: autographed copy of Pictures of the Shark
(US only; ends midnight, CDT, 7/15/2022)
|
7/5/22 |
Excerpt |
|
|
7/5/22 |
BONUS Promo |
|
|
7/6/22 |
Review |
|
|
7/6/22 |
BONUS Promo |
|
|
7/7/22 |
Guest Post |
|
|
7/8/22 |
Review |
|
|
7/9/22 |
Excerpt |
|
|
7/10/22 |
Playlist |
|
|
7/11/22 |
Review |
|
|
7/12/22 |
Author Interview |
|
|
7/13/22 |
Review |
|
|
7/14/22 |
Review |
Fantastic review! I mostly steer clear of books that are melancholy, but I think I will make an exception with this one. It sounds like time well-spent between the covers.
I love these types of stories because it is beneficial to focus on the human condition and relationships in general, remembering that everyone struggles to some degree and yearns for happiness.
Dear Ms. Jones –
Thank you for this very thoughtful review! I am glad that you enjoyed my book.
Best, Tom McNeely
Thank you! I love reading thought-provoking stories that highlight the human condition. Your book is anthropologically exceptional, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!