Leoh Lunch Ticket – 1
If you can imagine a plot driven almost entirely by metaphor and cultural reference and then imagine that plot extended by wordplay that unveils deep complexities of character, then you have begun to understand the unique artistry of Earl Braggs’ amazing book of stories. Take, for instance how the metaphor in “ball-breaking noise regardless of the way the 8-ball spins rumors and bar fights” is used a bit later to explain “the broken hearts that were already broken,” but is later picked up at the end with “the night the three of them almost put a [pool] triangle around the moon,” the dynamics of a pool game being one element governing the plot. Or take, for instance his “The Perfect Game” which ‘plays’ off failed relationships (the slang of ‘getting to first base lurks in the background), especially his original lost love, mathematical equations that refer to anything from chances in relationships and losses, to baseball calculations, references to the White Sox scandal and John Fogarty’s
