Memory

The author explores the impact of memory on the individual's consciousness through his network of protagonists and each of their interior concerns. For example, in "When We All Get to Heaven," when Ed Phelps plays the guitar again for the first time in over a decade, he is transported back to the days and songs of his childhood. In "I Thought I Heard the Shuffle of Angels' Feet," when Cicero's car breaks down near his hometown, he is compelled into memory, comparing his former relationships to his recent marriage. In both of these stories, the characters' shifts into remembrance initiate a shift in their states of mind, and thus the way they understand themselves.

In "When We All Get to Heaven," Ed Phelps believes himself to be perfectly content until he comes into contact with a famous pop star named Billy while visiting New York City...