RULES FOR ESCAPING

A collection of short stories that focus on trauma and its effects.

A thread of sorrow weaves its way through Farriella’s anthology. In stories set in common realms of society—the workplace, a daily commute, a character’s parents’ house—Farriella often examines the elements of grief and discontent in his characters’ lives. For example, in “Binary,” a young man takes a trip to the emergency room, where he experiences both physical pain and disappointment with his increasing emotional distance from his girlfriend. In “Unhumanness,” a young man named Leo lives with parents and tries to play tennis while feeling increasingly desensitized to the world around him. Leo, who lives with his parents, thinks about their daily lives: “Mom, he imagined…chatted with some guy in Latvia, who sent her heart emojis the way her husband never could.” A major theme throughout Farriella’s work is suicide and suicidal ideation, as in “Noose Tattoo,” in which one man’s uncle shows up at his door with a tattoo of a noose on his neck and a 6-foot rope in his hand; his relatives’ opinions and low expectations of him weigh him down: “My uncle’s body was a tableau of reconciliation, except often, it wasn’t his own sins he was paying for, it was his family’s.” Still, there’s a small but strong dose of absurdity and humor present in Farriella’s writing alongside his insights into the world of grief; for example, “Remain Open to It, Without Naming It,” features a “charity care worker” who experiences panic attacks, juxtaposed with a security guard who dances in an elevator and another character who’s sexually aroused by linoleum flooring and streetlights. Throughout, the author shows no fear when delving into darker emotions, and his collection is an excellent showcase for his shrewd and deft talent.

An exceptional compilation of sharp fiction.