Beyond the Lights: Stories

A stay-at-home dad documents his sex life on a Fitbit. Two teenage boys fall under the dangerous spell of a charismatic friend who enlists them to help find a buried treasure. A recent college graduate pads his law school application by teaching in an inner-city high school. These stories from Ryan Shoemaker’s first collection pass through landscapes of loneliness, stagnation, and bad good intentions. His characters often confront the disparity between illusion and reality-some clinging tenaciously to illusion, while others relinquish illusion to begin a journey to see the world, and themselves, through more compassionate eyes.

T.C. Boyle, author of The Terranauts and Tortilla Curtain What impresses me most about this collection is the enormous range of exhibition here. Ryan Shoemaker moves effortlessly from brilliant comedic pieces to stories of deep emotional resonance. He is a talent to reckon with-and enjoy.

Aimee Bender, author of The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake Ryan Shoemaker’s characters are often wrestling with blind spots, and they are not always the most sympathetic because of this, but he is so skillful at allowing each person his humanity. Every story here is its own journey about growth, or lack of growth, in a memorably thoughtful and convincing way.

Dana Johnson, author of Elsewhere, California Beyond the Lights will haunt you long after you’ve read it. Shoemaker is a genius at writing ambiguity, examining why and how people make choices that aren’t necessarily the right ones to make. We know these characters well because Shoemaker provides the mirror, revealing a sharp reflection. This is an engrossing and thoughtful collection for our times.