{"product_id":"2940157207595","title":"Triolio - Three Disparate Cautionary Tales","description":"? Trio, n. – An arrangement of three items.\u003cbr\u003e? Olio, n. – A miscellaneous grouping of unrelated items; a random mixture.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhat is reality? How do you know?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTRIOLIO is an approximately 150-page (novella-length in standard 6?x9? paperback) collection of three unrelated, self-contained pieces of short fiction exploring the depth of humanity and its creations through prose. Collectively they examine themes of deceit and mindfulness – encouraging the reader to consider both what is true and why it would be.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe first tale of TRIOLIO is \"The Ticket,\" a heist story set in modern-day Florida. It explores themes of love in their many forms: lost love, redemptive love, toxic love, familial love, and even the love of money. When an unexpected lottery win lands in the lap of two recently-divorced parents, an ordinary vacation spirals into chaos. What price will be paid for that \"free money\"?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe second story, \"Almost Human,\" leaps into the near-future of the Deep South in an exploration of the boundaries of humanity. When a native-born Alabamian with a Silicon Valley fortune decides to secretly enroll a robot in a college football program, it seems certain that the sport will soon be changing forever... until a fellow student falls in love with \"Tom\" the robot athlete. Can Tom's secret be kept in the face of one-sided infatuation – or is there something deeper in those circuits and servos?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe last tale of the collection, \"The Hex,\" returns to modern-day Florida – specifically Little Haiti – in a study of clashing beliefs. When recent immigrant Pierre is faced with the prospect of a curse, he sees nothing but doom in his future... unless he can convince Jean-Claude, the man who set the curse upon him, to lift it. That's a tall order when Jean-Claude is hospitalized by a stroke. Can Pierre save himself? Or is there another way?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTogether, these three pieces of short fiction contain myriad deceptions and misunderstandings – events which encourage readers to reevaluate the realities in which the characters live, as well as their own understood reality. How often do we simply assume our own understood truths are, in fact, true? TRIOLIO encourages you to take another look.","brand":"Stephen Coburn","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47300626284784,"sku":"2940157207595","price":2.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940157207595_p0.jpg?v=1764092953","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940157207595","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}