Dying is not merely the domain of the dead; it is a shared experience. What remains after someone has passed are the memories, that reflections of the past and those who have passed, and the challenges everyone faces in the wake of loss. Down in the Ground is a collection of flash fiction stories that examine the ways in which individuals deal with loss -- a study in the complex creativity we use to address grief and to challenge death so that life can triumph.
The family always kept a canary in the house, not just as a reminder of the past but because they could not remember a time when there wasn't one among them. The current pet, Pavarotti, had a broad chest for a canary. He was bright yellow and was approaching the age of twelve. He was still loud enough to be heard on the other side of the street.
Deft, elegant, and lush. Meyer reveals the inescapable trajectories and truths of ordinary human lives in in this sumptuous collection of short fictions. Masterful writing!
Karen Schauber, Editor The Group of Seven Reimagined: Contemporary Stories Inspired by Historic Canadian Paintings
Tender, funny, philosophical and smart, Meyer’s work is dazzling. His stories achieve what other writers can only do in novels. Each flash is so full of love, loss and healing it captures a life. Writing this good feels like a sort of alchemy. Superb.
Angela Readman, author of Don’t Try This at Home and Something Like Breathing