NOTE: I won a free eBook copy of this book in PDF format from LibraryThing's Early Reviewers (November 2019).

This collection of short stories offers multiple takes on the experience of aging somewhat gracefully. Though I felt as if all of the stories came from the same persona (i.e., a white, male, middle-class, hetero, East Coast point of view), Singer's choice of subject matter varies widely from story to story. Here one will find depictions of wrestling matches, travel vignettes, and even some international intrigue. The sequencing of stories by overarching theme (middle age, old age, and the afterlife) gives Singer the opportunity to pull the reader further into his literary prose. Frequently, the outcomes are not quite what one would expect, and "The Promised End" explores just a few of the possible implications of the afterlife, leaving the reader to ponder which predictions will come true. ( )

There is in fiction a dearth of texts presented from the perspective of those of us past late middle age and so I quickly volunteered to review this book that promised an elder's perspective and experience. Hats off to Ron Singer both for doing it and also for doing it well.
A series of shortish episodes (think longish short story length) gives Mr Singer enough space to stretch his writing muscle and develop a full fledged narrator with a convincing voice. I found regular resonances throughout these episodes and was nodding here and there. He brings out the differences between the recently retired, relatively secure (financially and psychologically) protagonist and the more usual fare of fiction.
A welcome addition to a sparse canon of elder fiction and I congratulate the publisher for taking a chance on this text and the author for his excellent work. Let us have more of this kind of stuff and less of the misery memoir. ( )