The Long Slide: Stories

These stories are portraits of men adrift -- in their own fantasies, failures, and confusing successes. In the title story, a man's desire to bring an honourable end to a love affair is severely tested by the internal and external obstacles presented by a long summer afternoon. "My God, Richard Is Beautiful" follows the drifting, post-coital reflections of a young man who has just slept with his close friend's girlfriend, while "House Cleaning" enacts a comic psychodrama of love, anti-depressants, and class warfare.

James Grainger is the review editor of ＂Quill & Quire＂ and has written for the ＂Toronto Star＂ and ＂Canadian Hockey Magazine.＂ He has been a books commentator on CBC Radio One, CBC Newsworld, and Book Television. His memoir ＂The Last Hippie＂ appeared in the anthology ＂AWOL: Tales for Travel-Inspired Minds.＂ He lives in Toronto, Ontario.