Leap of Faith

Probing the fringes of society, through the bowling alleys and coffee breaks of everyday America and its unknown companies and faceless denizens, this collection of vignettes explores the hidden contours of its characters' experiences with humor, subtlety, and compassion. From the opening story "Just Four Words," exploring the awkwardness of dating after years of not doing so, to the final chords of "Kawabonga," a story about the power of words and the narrow-mindedness of those who live in fear of that power, Charles Karian's debut collection uses spare prose to deliver lives full of richness. Each story a photograph exploring connection, our need for it, and the consequences of judgment and self-pity, they collectively capture moments of grief, elation, loneliness, and transcendence and illuminate the finer shadings of what it means to be human. Reminiscent of Sherwood Anderson's seminal short story sequence Winesburg, Ohio, this collection paints a portrait of these outer spaces in American culture where everyday people struggle to understand life and their place within it. Heartfelt and uncompromising, Leap of Faith: A Series of Twelve Short Stories is a rare glimpse inside the quiet corners of desperation and solitude, a force of will demanding a higher standard of connection and communication, and atestament to the healing power of the human spirit.