The Road From Prosperity Stories
The twelve stories in Nancy Welch’s debut collection describe a post-1970s industrial landscape in which families face joblessness, transience, and an increasingly tenuous foothold on the lower rungs of the middle class. The daughters and sons, fathers and wives in these stories set in small-town Ohio are bounced out of the American dream by layoffs and shutdowns, by the uncertainty of steady work and steadfast love.
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars A Reviewer from Leeds, UK
I’m generally not an avid reader of short fiction, so I was surprised by just how much I enjoyed this collection. Welch has an extraordinary eye for the subtleties of human interaction and motivation. The stories are clearly political in their incisive examination of the destabilization of working class lives with the flight of capital, investment, and stable work from Rust Belt American communities. Yet the stories are often as funny as they are poignant. Throughout Welch shows a keen understanding of the stories that we tell ourselves to make sense of our lives and to make life bearable. Highly recommended.
5 Stars A Hidden Gem
Checked this book out from my library just by chance — so glad I did. She writes so well!!! Can’t believe she is not more well known. Do hope she is working on a novel…the emotional depth of characters and the lovely thoughtful intelligent writing…talented author.