Things I Pray I Never Forget by Doug S. Haines
Things I Pray I Never Forget draws the reader in as it explores the complexity of life through a variety of characters and the situations and relationships that define them. Work, death, family, religion, illness, addiction, and Mother Nature all play their part in shaping the lives and choices of the characters within this collection. In “The Barrelman,” a broken-down rodeo clown is forced to come to terms with his aging body as he tries to play the part of father to the young daughter he has just met. Meanwhile, the pawn shop owner in “Limited Space” finds himself pondering the concept of faith and the different faces of God, as the grizzled Vietnam Vet in “Coffee with Ava” reminds us that so many moments in life are just “chalked full of disappointments and missed opportunities.” Each character in this collection must find his or her own way or die trying as they often find themselves beaten and penned in the corner by what life throws at them. Their best chance for survival is either to laugh it off or come out swinging. This collection takes the reader into the memories that have meaning, and these memories come together to create a world full of grit and raw emotion.
Things I Pray I Never Forget flows into an experience that is unlike any other, a time of unexpected personal development and self-exploration that culminates into its ultimate realization in the end.
Also available on Amazon.
Praise for Doug S. Haines
Haines manages to develop rich, complex characters in spite of the obvious limitations of the short story form. Their struggles with the tragic and mundane come to life in this often dark, often hilarious collection. If Flannery O'Connor were alive today, she'd be reading Doug Haines -- and applauding.
--Bulwer Lytton