Life Songs

Life Songs And Other Passages
By Joe Cabaniss

This debut collection of short stories by Joe Cabaniss puts coming of age under a microscope, examining how lives unfold in a world of pitfalls, heartache, moral dilemmas, betrayal and unanswered questions.

Place figures strongly in these stories, set mostly in San Diego in the 1950s '60s and '70s: a young adventurer takes menial work at a ski resort to follow his passion; a fifth grader makes his way as a new kid in class; a boy grows up under the weight of estrangement from his father; and three friends set out to meet girls and sample the nightlife in Tijuana. Other stories examine the lives of young men seeking their place in the world: a 21-year-old's life is upended when he receives his draft notice; a surfer moves away from the beach to save his academic future; and a reluctant college student shares a moment in time with a charming young woman he meets in Rome.

Above all, Cabaniss' characters strive to understand and direct their lives, amid opposing forces that foster tension and uncertainty, in an often unjust and unforgiving world.