{"product_id":"2940045222495","title":"You Can't Use Your Cell Phone in Here: A Book of Short Stories","description":"\u003cp\u003eYou Can't Use Your Cell Phone in Here is an eclectic assortment of a dozen short stories written by two authors over a period of fifteen years in at least three different parts of the United States. Confronting themes ranging from the farcically satirical to the darkly evocative,\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe collection opens with a fast-marching account of a pair of childhood friends attempting to pull off the prank of the century while somehow finding meaning in their lives through their genial treachery. Next comes the sad and alcohol-driven dissolution of a relationship -- as seen through the eyes of a loyal pet. Then, a self-righteous blowhard gets his comeuppance in a most unusual -- and entertaining -- way. On the heels of that, a troubled bus driver literally races toward a terribly destructive end, a load of hostages in tow. Following these male-dominated accounts emerges a steamy tale of a woman in a shredded marriage finding solace in a most adventurous manner.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNext, an embittered newsroom employee delves into an unseen world to exact revenge on a co-worker -- and the cosmos as a whole. After this, the book's true feel-good story, as a chef with unimpeachable style and grace tests his abilities to the limit. Then, a cycling accident brings an affably deluded man in touch with the world he wants but can never have; an ultramarathon runner engages in a hellishly solitary mortal struggle; and a gaggle of fifth-degree misfits stumble into a wee-hours, madcap confrontation with mischief. The book's final two stories are its shortest and longest; both involve haunted souls of a sort, but the presentation of their unlikely circumstances could not be any more different.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll told, the only genuine motif linking these thought-provoking stories -- two of which approach near-novella length -- is the authors' shared quest to resolve their characters' inevitable dilemmas -- sometimes slapstick, sometimes morbid -- in a way that reflects their own soft yet gritty humanity.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Lize Brittin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47082359685360,"sku":"2940045222495","price":2.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940045222495_p0.jpg?v=1763971167","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940045222495","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}