A collection of short stories about characters determined to play the best game they can with the cards Fate has dealt them, convinced life will get better if they just hold on.
What do you do when the hand that life deals you isn’t the one you wanted?
In PERIPHERAL VISIONS AND OTHER STORIES, the characters choose to play the best game they can with the cards they’ve received.
For some, it’s making the most of the circumstances in which they find themselves, even if it’s not the life they planned.
For others, it’s following an unconventional path–not the easiest course or the one that others would take, but the one that’s right for them.
From humorous to serious, the twenty stories in this collection explore the range of human emotions—from fear, grief and regret to courage and acceptance—underpinned by the hope that life will get better if they can just hold on and stay strong.
Excerpt
Excerpt from “Peripheral Visions” from Peripheral Visions and Other Stories
“Shoot.” Lena caught sight of the sign pointing the way to the rest stop off I-77 almost a fraction of a moment too late. She turned the wheel too sharply, causing the right tires of her old Ford Escort to kick up bits of gravel from the shoulder, before she could navigate it safely onto the turnoff.
Shaking slightly, she slowed the car to a more sedate twenty-five-miles per hour before brushing the perspiration from her forehead.
“That was close,” she said to no one in particular. Talking to herself was a habit she had acquired since her mother’s passing. The young think older people talk to themselves because they are going senile. But when there is no one left to talk to, you have to talk out loud. Otherwise, the silence can be deafening. And after decades as a practical nurse where she routinely carried on conversations with patients simply to ease the sterile loneliness of the oncology ward, Lena knew the value of the spoken word even when there wasn’t anyone around to answer.
She glanced up at her rearview mirror, hoping the blue highway patrol car that seemed to be shadowing her since she crossed into West Virginia hadn’t caught her latest misjudgment. That’s all she would need: flashing lights, a request that she show her driver’s license, and then a trip to the police station, where they would no doubt confiscate her car and contact her niece Claire.
Claire. By now, Claire might have figured out what Lena was up to, but she still wouldn’t be sure exactly where her aunt had headed. For who would expect a seventy-two-year-old woman who had never driven beyond the Kingsville city limits to drive the nine-hundred-plus miles from Ohio to Florida?
Not Claire, that’s for sure. Claire would have expected Lena to be looking forward to her move to Golden Glow, to behave as the sane, sensible, and highly responsible maiden aunt she had always been.
“Not this time, though,” Lena said aloud, as she checked the parking area for other cars, including any with the telltale light bar mounted on the roof and distinctive twin gold stripes on the side, before pulling into a parking spot. “For once in my life, I’m going to do what I want to do, instead of walking a straight line right up to the end.”
That’s the biggest problem with the world today, she thought as she gingerly slid out of the car, carefully stretching her back to work out the kinks. The pain that had plagued her shoulder was even worse than usual this morning, undoubtedly aggravated by too many hours behind the wheel.
She moved her body slowly, continuing her conversation aloud. “People walk around with blinders on just like horses, their eyes glued on the goal, the ‘Big Picture.’ There’s no sidestepping, no walking off the beaten path, no road less traveled. You get ahead that way, it’s true. But what if where you end up isn’t where you should have gone?”
Professional Reviews
A memorable cast of characters engaged in a beguiling group of situations
"I first became acquainted with Nancy Christie's stories as fiction editor for The Chaffin Journal, an internationally-known literary journal. Reading her delightful 'Aunt Aggie and the Make-up Lady,' I recognized real talent in its finely-drawn characters and velvet-smooth style. Later, when I had a chance to read her Traveling Left of Center and Other Stories, I discovered that 'Aunt Aggie' was not an anomaly; the collection, detailing the struggles of individuals who found it difficult to 'fit in,' revealed the same level of perception and style. When Nancy asked me to take a look at her latest collection, I was excited. And Peripheral Visions and Other Stories did not disappoint. In fact, I became so engaged in the stories that I read the complete manuscript in one sitting... Nancy presents us with a memorable cast of characters engaged in a beguiling group of situations in her collection. I recommend Peripheral Visions and Other Stories highly." Hal Blythe, Co-Director, Teaching & Learning Center, Eastern Kentucky University
Some of the best of modern short story fiction
"Nancy Christie's stories are some of the best of modern short story fiction. She engages the reader from the start and whether with gentle humour or deep sadness, imbues her stories with emotion. This collection provides a thoroughly satisfying read." Rosemary J. Kind, Managing Director, Alfie Dog Fiction
Poignant stories about loss, deception, heartbreak, and joy
"Diverse and vibrant characters populate Nancy Christie's poignant stories about loss, deception, heartbreak, and joy. From tender or bittersweet to uplifting with a splash of humor, this collection cannot help but touch your heart and bring a smile or a tear." Carol L. Wright, editor, Bethlehem Writers Group, LLC and Bethlehem Writers Roundtable magazine
In this eccentric tale set in a small town in northern India, Pawan Mishra masterfully weaves ingenuity and sarcasm in a manner that’s simultaneously hilarious and tragic.
Determined to confront the hazy memories of his troubled youth, Oliver Matthews, a retired detective and confirmed bachelor, returns to the picturesque town of Henley-on-Thames for the first time in years.
