Hints of His Mortality

A book that could have been titled "Plan B." This collection of stories by David Borofka illuminate men living lives they hadn't planned upon or even imagined. These men are up-and-comers turned failures entering the second half of their lives not as writers or lawyers or priests or teachers, but as used-car salesmen and insurance brokers, their hearts and egos unhinged by disappointment, alcohol, and infidelity. With dreams shattered and expectations downsized, they still have to negotiate the dangerous DMZ between wives and estranged lovers and their own sense of grace. Borofka imbues his men with a heroic quality that lifts them above their situations, arranging the stories with a narrative drive that makes this collection read like a novel, creating a fully realized and impressive book.