The Window is a Mirror

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Pub Date 05 Mar 2019 | Archive Date 22 Feb 2019

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Description

Michael Andreoni examines the working-class life in this collection of sixteen short stories. Written with grit and touches of humor, these thought-provoking stories offer an insight into the flawed and intriguing humanness within us all.

Stories included in the collection: "Stump," "The Window Is a Mirror," "Edwin Floating," "Drambuie Tam," "Julian’s Crunchy Apotheosis," "Pastoral," "Possum Haw," "Moving Day," "Brown Black No Ink," "The Devil-Ape of Goma," "Consolidated Freight," "Fifteen Tops," "Soft Power," "The Symmetry of Children," "Tea Party," and "The Approach to the Bridge"

Michael Andreoni examines the working-class life in this collection of sixteen short stories. Written with grit and touches of humor, these thought-provoking stories offer an insight into the flawed...


A Note From the Publisher

Also available in Trade Softcover (ISBN:: 978-1-947727-38-0) and Ebook (ISBN: 978-1-948540-39-1) Ebook also available through Overdrive. About the author: Michael Andreoni lived the life of an itinerant farm laborer for nearly ten years. At times residing in barns, he read whatever he could and dreamed of a larger destiny. When he discovered writing, he knew he had found his true calling. He enjoys writing short stories, and his work explores the intersections of class and identity.

Also available in Trade Softcover (ISBN:: 978-1-947727-38-0) and Ebook (ISBN: 978-1-948540-39-1) Ebook also available through Overdrive. About the author: Michael Andreoni lived the life of an...


Advance Praise

"With humor, grace, and lightning-quick prose, Andreoni tells the stories of loan-sharks, angel-headed bakers, and panther-riding gunslingers. A dark and beautiful collection of 21st century ballads.” — Alexander Weinstein Award-winning author of Children of the New World


"Gritty, unflinching, powerful, daring, deft. These words come to mind when reading Andreoni’s startling and clever collection of stories. He gives us razor sharp insights into flawed and intriguing human beings who struggle to survive, deal with the truth (or not), and wrestle with stuck-ness and futility. Each story becomes a window mirroring back to us the different shades of light and darkness, and some have a touch of magical realism. But the surprises keep coming. The characters feel trapped but still find ways to live another day. And we walk with them, and hope with them too. As one of them says, after a series of harrowing events— “born new into darkness, could you imagine light?” — Zilka Joseph Author of Sharp Blue Search of Flame, What Dread, and Lands I Live In

"With humor, grace, and lightning-quick prose, Andreoni tells the stories of loan-sharks, angel-headed bakers, and panther-riding gunslingers. A dark and beautiful collection of 21st century...


Marketing Plan

•Online advertising and promotion

• Special prepublication mailings

• National book festival promotion

• Author appearances and signings at bookstores

• Targeted email marketing to ALA librarians

• Reading group guides

• E-newsletter promotion

• Social media promotion

• Extensive blog features and promotions, including author’s blogger network

•Online advertising and promotion

• Special prepublication mailings

• National book festival promotion

• Author appearances and signings at bookstores

• Targeted email marketing to ALA...


Available Editions

EDITION Hardcover
ISBN 9781948540384
PRICE $26.95 (USD)

Average rating from 3 members


Featured Reviews

The Window is a Mirror by Michael Andreoni. Thanks to NetGalley and Michael Andreoni for an advance copy of The Window is a Mirror for my honest review. In fact, I gave a wrong review in error to two novels with the Name Window, and The Window is a Mirror.
Two VERY different books. Michael Andreoni examines the working-class life in this collection of sixteen short stories. Written with grit and touches of humor, these thought-provoking stories offer an insight into the flawed and intriguing humanness within us all.
This is a book in which you feel. It is a deep, moving, almost painfully love and laugh. This book is one you want to keep and read again and demand everyone you know to read it and just feel, laugh and spread and keep it going.
My Honest review is it is a 10. I do not give a book many 10 ratings as you know. Just trust and read.

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What an amazing collection of short stories this book contains. An what an extraordinary writer we have with Michael Andreoni who lived the life of an itinerant farm labourer for nearly 10 years often sleeping in barns. But his reading and dreaming have led to a amazing way with words and a collection of characters that perhaps reflect not only his life but many people he must have come across on his journey.
The title story 'The Window Is A Mirror' tells of Danny a janitor in an expensive block of apartments who is struggling with family finances and wishes to do more with his life. The author had also worked as a janitor and we can sense the real invisibility of the character that is often felt by cleaners, shift workers, janitors and others working on the periphery of rich lives.
When he is sent to fix broken faulty windows in one apartment he is greeted differently by Phil, with tea and a proposition to become a wealthy TV star. He's been included but only on the terms of the character who's using him for his own purposes, a theme consistent with many of the short stories that deal with identity issues.
Sometimes the characters appear in more than one story like the strange silver miner who rides a black panther and rules the men of saloon bar drinking a scotch liquer- just the person an aspiring writer might include in his attempt to sell short stories and impress the rich teetotal bible bashing family of his girlfriend - two stories and two different classes of people across the American Dream.
I particularly liked ' Edwin Floating' in which divorced Edwin is seeking love on the internet and trying to fill the hours with drinking with his mates when he realises his sister Ellen and his nephew Jason need his attention as the teenage boy starts to go off the rails. Lonely figures (often male and fatherless or with useless fathers) are a feature of many lives in the book and the attempt to succeed and make people proud is also a theme.
What's America about? Small towns but bigger ideas and dreams. Including views on immigrants, agricultural labourers and the unethical attitude of banks and big business the stories have much to tell us about the human psyche.
Excellent - a name to look out for again.

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