Spirited and sardonic Auburn Halverson has always been a survivor but has made every mistake that came her way. On the verge of having a stable life for her two young children, she finds out her boyfriend Steve is cheating on her. Pain and abuse tell her to fall back into her destructive patterns, but she soon finds they do not work for her any longer. She is slowly realizing that choosing the pain she knows is not a sign of weakness, but a symptom of staying strong too long.
Her best friend Chad reveals he has strong feelings for her. She wants to believe him, but the fear of a healthy relationship also takes her back to traumatic events in her childhood.
She must find a way to free herself of this fear or risk losing her children. Her journey has begun, but it will not be complete unless she gives herself permission to stop calling the girl in the mirror ugly.

Review:

Cannon’s newest work, Shattered, depicts a stand up comedian’s struggle to cope with his relationships with women in his life, particularly his best friend and his ex-fiance.

Main character Mikey struggles with body image issues and a strained relationship with the notion of God. While dealing with these issues (and more), Mikey eventually embraces the idea of devolving into an animal after being repeatedly heckled for his beast-like appearance (especially after he stops shaving, etc.). This leads to success in his stand-up, being billed almost as performance art, but it pushes Mikey to mistreat all women in his life.

Cannon’s portrayal of Mikey successfully illustrates the struggle and failure of a character to accept personal rejection. The portrayal also illustrates the ways in which audiences consume performance and performer as commodity, and such performance may lead a self-obsessed, neurotic (limited) understanding of others, as Mikey experiences throughout. As a character, Mikey never fully adopts the forgiving new testament version of God. Instead, he seeks revenge and this drives much of the novel, often reminding me of a more socially acceptable (and less repulsive) version of McCarthy’s Child of God.

Cannon’s best work so far, in my opinion, particularly in his ability to use foil characters to reveal Mikey and his needs for growth and improvement. Mikey struggles and we are there right with him.

Gathered here are Thomas Cannon’s short stories that have been published over the years. It is an eclectic collection with a few fantasy stories near the end of the book. The title story, Alternate Forms of Life, is a story the author treasures writing. Alexander, the main character, has Aspergers’ and showcases that people on the autism spectrum are complex people with value. That is not to say Alexander is an accurate representation. For conflict and humor reasons, he does have some stereotypical behavior. The intent is that people with autism and those with loved ones on the autism scale will connect to some of the things Alexander says, does, and experience. Some stories came from a single idea. Hammerschlagen combines the ideas of someone throwing her cigarette in the same spot every day and seeing the game Hammerschlagen played in a beer tent. Seven Questions was a response to the writing prompt: “The three witches are blowing this way.” Blue Tarp came from Cannon seeing an online auction for half of a manufactured home.

Please consider purchasing my books from other places:

Alternate Forms of Life https://books2read.com/u/bMnnPA

Love, Story https://books2read.com/u/br6oez

Parts of Me (Short Stories) https://books2read.com/u/mKAwXZ

Ten years. A decade of love, laughter, and shared dreams. But Sally, a talented furniture maker, senses a storm brewing in her seemingly perfect marriage to Wes, an artist on the cusp of fame. Convinced his newfound success will eclipse her and their life together, she acts on her premonition, forcing Wes out of their home.

As Wes navigates the whirlwind of his newfound celebrity, Sally grapples with the loneliness of her own success and the fear of losing the man she loves. Caught in the crossfire are their circle of friends, their beloved Chicago, and the art that has always bound them together.

Will their shared past and the city that witnessed their love story be enough to mend their broken hearts, or has Sally’s fear irrevocably shattered their future?”

Dive into the messy, beautiful, and often surprising world of human connection in Thomas Cannon’s captivating collection of short stories.

From the unexpected romance between a jaded businessman and a devoted caregiver to the forbidden love between a priest and a choir singer, these stories explore the complexities of relationships with poignant honesty.

Witness the struggles of a recovering alcoholic grappling with his faith, the unlikely attraction between a buttoned-up carpooler and a former cheerleader, and the explosive consequences of an anger management class for a divorcing couple.

Experience the bittersweet joy of second chances, the pain of loss and the power of forgiveness, and the enduring strength of unexpected connections.

Father Matt is a Catholic priest that falls in love with the new vocalist in the choir. Matt and Teresa connect in a deep way, but they also have a deep love of God.

A father questions the need for his young son to go to confession and this doubt puts his sobriety to the test.

Jenny is a former cheerleader who realizes that her button-down carpooling coworker has become a catch.

Stephen and Vicki end up in the same anger management class they are mandated to take before their divorce can proceed.

At one of their porch parties, Mandy sets up her best friend Cliff with the hottest friend she knows. When the hot friend spends the evening on the phone with her ex-boyfriend, Mandy cheers him up and reveals her feelings for him

Martin isolates himself after his wife’s passing as penance for having an emotional affair with his boss. It takes a new friendship with the young, free-spirited Cassidy to move him to live his life again.

Then there is Brian. Despite the love of his sister and her family, he is intent on self-destructing.

Strait-laced Donna falls for Kevin, who has many drinking stories and a checkered past.