An estranged couple unearth a mysterious artifact in their backyard, setting in motion a series of bewildering events. A lonely software developer takes a position at a shadowy corporation, only to find himself the subject of a new and sinister brand of team training. A motley group of late-night shoppers find themselves stranded inside a big-box store with dwindling hope of escape. A window washer mourning the death of a child finds himself confronted with the indelible stains of his own failures. In eighteen uncanny stories, Keith Rondinelli's subtle and disquieting debut collection charts a dreamlike netherworld of shifting identities, tech-age anxiety, and the alienating effects of consumerism. "A General Theory of Tears" paints a surreal portrait of an America on the brink. Suggestive of David Lynch, George Saunders, Brian Evenson, and Stephen Millhauser, Rondinelli's nostalgic, speculative, and sometimes darkly comedic visions announce a significant storytelling talent.
