All Most Together Now

Glenn A. Bruce's second collection of Short Stories, "All Most Together Now," is an eclectic mix of strong characters in wildly different situations. He blends humor and irony, as would be expected, but throws in several dashes of unexpected twists and turns, strange outcomes and powerful human resolve. The stories range from a little girl who loves water more than anything and must face a life without, to a house with really bad karma; a mentally handicapped young man who pays with language inside his head in order to deal with a world he only partially understands; and twin 7-year-old girls who try to understand their mother's death while their father tries to understand why the entire extended family is completely crazy. The well-drawn characters include a young female Hollywood executive trying to order lunch in a too-chic cafe; a Southern dirt track racer trying to figure out how to better share home chores with his wife while at the same time trying to win a dangerous race on a tight track; a centenarian who has an unrequited passion for sailing; and a good God-fearing Midwest politician who never pauses to praise his Maker, or attack his Congressional opponents with all the fierceness of a bloodthirsty Philistine -- certain that he knows his Fate. Inconsolable giants, a mystery shopper in a Big Box store, wayward British youths trying to define upper crust values, a woman soldier trapped in a shootout "in country," a happy, wounded Champion of life, and a sex-crazed young woman who is about to change a man's life - for good. It's all here, and it's all great reading -- stories that will stay with you a long time. "Glenn A. Bruce holds no pretensions in his writing. He is simple, precise and clear in his storytelling. Yet his love of language and understanding of the human conditioning are at times astounding."