Many of the characters in Easy Living are, by chance or choice, loners some exist on the edge of estrangement, such as the narrators of “Bloodgroove” and “Scherzo,” and a few – like Jules Gibson in “Saskatchewan” – have toppled over. “Grebec” is set in the rural world of an elderly man confined to house arrest for shooting a teen-aged vandal. In “Sandcastles,” three young boys encounter a lone woman burying L.P.s on a beach, and some strange games ensue. While the situations these people find themselves in skew to the dark side, the writing itself is tactile and surprising, and also very funny. This tension – hardscrabble subjects, lively styles – is a defining characteristic of the collection.

Jesus Hardwell's profile page

Jesus Hardwell is an author and a playwright. He is a recipient of the Silver National Magazine Award for his short story, “Sandcastles,” which was short-listed for the prestigious Journey Prize and featured in the Journey Prize Anthology. He lives in Guelph, Ontario.

“If you love language and the truths that only a wild imagination can get at, you’ll love Easy Living.”

David Doucette

“Easy Living contains some of the most haunting short fiction that Canada has ever produced.”

Mark D. Dunn

“Raw, powerful prose.”  —Globe and Mail