Description
Ranging from under 2000 words to a little over 100, the eighteen Kafkaesque flash-fictions of this collection collectively explore themes of perception, conflict, societal flaws, existential quandaries, and the human condition through a prevailing tone of absurdity. Making frequent use of metaphor, irony, magical realism, philosophical enquiry, and surreal imagery, these richly varied, allegorical, and sometimes biting narratives are intended to be slowly savored, this as they both challenge and provoke thoughts regarding issues that span the contemporary to the timeless.
The topics addressed by these at times touching, sometimes dark-humored, and occasionally unsettling stories include the troubles associated with having a detachable heart, political revolutions that end up resulting in the same, interactions between free-willed puppets, a society which views compassion for the other as a disease, a town’s triumphant fix to the butterfly effect, the attempts to substitute a prospective war with a fully civilized game of wits, and the logically valid impossibility of anyone anywhere ever obtaining a first kiss.
About the collection
The individual fictions of this collection are selected stand-alone stories from my first attempt at a novel: A stream of consciousness interweaving the protagonist’s memories of a forlorn, year-long, seemingly mutual, and intense romantic attraction that never developed into anything more than a platonic acquaintance; his various thoughts regarding love and existential matters in general; and his sporadic, dread-induced daymares; all of which he was experiencing on a single night while inebriated and deliberating on whether he should take the plunge and ask the young woman he’d grown ever-more in love with since the first day they’d met out on a date.
Though I have for now relinquished my first attempt at a complete novel, I do presently have ideas for another—one whose plot unfolds within a distant, global, utopian society. The subject of this second novel, however, is far more audacious in scope than my first attempt—too much so for my present tastes. Still, writing it is always in the back of my mind.
January 2026: I’m currently in the process of updating the design, layout, and cover (the new cover bing already uploaded on this website) and anticipate having the updates ready by early 2026. The updated book will then be available in both paperback and kindle formats on Amazon.com.
Michael W Moiceanu 