Okay, this now makes three novels and forty-three short stories I have read by this author on the fictional "Port William Membership." This short story collection is the most recently published of the five books I have read, and this one more than any of the others seems very absorbed with looking back at a way of life at a "place in time" that applies to a mere subsection of America. The author sees a past life that he tries to capture in these writings and makes it clear he misses it greatly, and I'm not at all sure he really grasps the full reasons it no longer exists. In my mind, skip the Fox News promoted books and the Hillbilly Elegy type volumes, and read about Port William. It's my belief this is what is separating a large chunk of America from the rest. This shows what people think about what they had and why they are so upset they no longer have it. Okay, maybe that's somewhat of a stretch, but I really don't think I'm that far off target. As somber as this analysis may seem, I would not be fair to the author, if I did not mention that I burst out laughing several times while reading these stories. (That's laughter of pure amusement, not ridicule, in case you were wondering.) The man has a real gift.