Advance Praise:
"Silverman's collection is an arresting portrait of humanity—a potent cocktail of flaws, insecurities, shame, and hope. ... the collection's universal themes will surely resonate." — Blueink Review
"Each of these witty, moving, and morally complex stories is as rich and packed with surprises as a novel. A deeply satisfying book, and a remarkable debut." — Brian Morton, author of Starting Out in the Evening and Tasha: A Son's Memoir
"Silverman showcases a cast of believable characters grappling with truth, lost connections, and loneliness among everyday scenarios... A quiet but weighty collection that will surely resonate with readers long after the last page is turned." — Kirkus Reviews
"Readers are swept into a roller coaster of emotions in these stories, glimpsing individuals seeking meaning and purpose amid life's complexities." — Booklife Reviews
"E.G. Silverman summons my favorite short story writers—T.C. Boyle, Tobias Wolff, Raymond Carver—and it is a joy to read such an accomplished writer at the height of his powers." — Dan Pope, author of Housebreaking
“'Only the decision counts,' a character in one of E.G. Silverman’s stories says, a suggestion reinforced in nearly every story in Your Only Best Hope. Quality short stories are built on the tension created by difficult choices, and, in story after story, Silverman thrusts his characters toward decision-making to provide that tension." — Gary Fincke, author of The Out-of-Sorts: Selected Stories
Reviews:
BLUEINK REVIEW;
E.G. Silverman’s literary short story collection perceptively explores the fears, struggles, and regrets characteristic of unassuming American lives.
The prolific writer, whose previous short stories have been published in journals such as Prairie Schooner and Painted Bride Quarterly, delivers characters who navigate the uncomfortable truth of what it means to be alive. The seven stories employ first-person and third-person narration, with protagonists that are predominantly men whose older age motivates them to contemplate the past and take a critical inventory of their present.
In the opening story, “Moosehead Lake,” a twice-divorced Gen X Bostonian, Paul, rents a cabin in rural Maine. Burned by his second wife, who had an affair with Paul’s longtime business partner, Paul retreats to Moosehead Lake to salvage his pride. There, he enters a physical relationship with a brusque 40-something woman and also her stepdaughter; the latter wants to be saved by anyone who can offer freedom from small-town monotony.
The third story, “Sourland Pharmacy,” spotlights a similar theme of searching for connection and validation. Ted, a New Jersey pharmacist, wrestles with his attraction to his coworker, who is moving to Atlanta for her husband’s job.
Throughout these stories, Silverman skillfully constructs rich character interiority and captures palpable moral tension. Realistic dialogue mirrors each character’s personality, and language is effortlessly wielded with economical precision or poignant introspection. In particular, the title story, which is about a man whose wife is dying of cancer, depicts how a marriage cracks under the weight of terminal illness: “He wished he could take what was left of her into his arms, but the sad truth was he was repulsed by her decrepitude.”
Silverman’s collection is an arresting portrait of humanity—a potent cocktail of flaws, insecurities, shame, and hope. Readers may not share the characters’ same dilemmas, but the collection’s universal themes will surely resonate.