Abstract
This collection of seven short stories is in fulfillment of the Florida State University MA thesis requirement. Each of the stories, set during the off-season in the fictional gulf coast town of Mossy Key, can stand on their own. Jointly, the stories hinge on life in a small, self-supported fishing village. Each story, told by different residents of the town, addresses the town’s concern to expand while also preserving its roots. The stories are arranged sequentially beginning with Labor Day and running through Spring Break. The stories render a world where land development for the sake of commerce does not necessarily facilitate the expansion of the resident’s wallets. The stories center around the verge of a full-blown tourist economy, but this theme is not the major driving force behind each story. Each centers on emotional ambivalence: anguish over unrequited love, grief created by unstable family situations, breaking the habit of believing one’s own lies, and accepting the bittersweet taste of loss. “Meeting Jim Cantore” and “Potted Plants” illustrates two women’s unrealistic yet desperate grasp of woman/man love relationships should be. “Sweet Loretta” and “Washed Ashore” both address the trappings of mother/daughter-type relationships, expressively the balance between loving and controlling. “Concrete Chickens” explores the break-up of a couple and the unrelenting man who cannot take it like a man.
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