“Big Bend” is a collection of 9 short stories by Bill Roorbach, author the recently released “The Remedy for Love”. Personally, I preferred his novel; I am not a big fan of short stories but I thought I would try this book since I am such a big fan of the novel Remedy. The stories were good, but there were only two that I would rate 5 stars – Rockin’ Joe’s Blues Machine and The Fog. The stories seem to deal with loneliness and the protagonists’ efforts to overcome it or just deal with it, to varying levels of success and satisfaction:
Thanksgiving – Troubled, unsuccessful son makes rare appearance at the holiday dinner.
Rockin’ Joe’s – Aging warm-up rocker has a one-nighter with ex-lover and has to deal with her teenage son the next morning.
A Job at Little Henry’s - A planned heist at a convenience store goes awry.
Taughannuck Falls – A friend of 20 years awakes from a catatonic state.
Fredonia – An antiques truck driver is assisted by a post grad student who practices her psych training on him.
Loneliness – Sad and creepy story of two people who keep locking eyes much to her discomfort.
Fog – Two 14-15 year olds get lost in the fog while canoeing and experiment a bit with their feelings for each other.
Anthropology – A summer vacation cowboy counts cattle on the range, reflecting on a recent breakup.
Big Bend – A 74 year old volunteer at the national park meets a younger woman and the embers are stirred. ( )