Elizabeth Geoghegan Knihy

Eightball strikes hard. Fueled by an abiding sense of loss, these eight stories take you on a journey over the exploded fault lines of intimacy, unfolding across cities and continents. Whether hitchhiking the Italian Veneto, trekking through a pitch-black Balinese rice field, or queuing for drinks in a crowded Seattle bar, Geoghegan sets her characters adrift in a world that stakes its claim to the enigmatic terrain of desire. This collection of darkly comic, occasionally violent, tales is anchored by the eponymous "eightball," a coming of age novella about a sister and brother guided by the inertia of recklessness and self-destruction. A prot g of the late Lucia Berlin, Elizabeth Geoghegan writes lyric, place-driven prose laced with edgy realism and wry wit.

Set against the backdrop of Rome, this flash memoir follows a young American expat navigating the highs and lows of life in Italy. Amidst the allure of charming men and stunning antiquities, she faces romantic misadventures that reveal the hidden costs of the dolce vita. With a blend of humor and vulnerability, Elizabeth Geoghegan offers a candid exploration of grief and the quest for love in her 30s. This edition also features "The Violet Hour," a short story from her acclaimed collection, eightball.