Lifeguard by Eamon Fani

These are fleeting snapshots, distinct tastes, and very short themes of life tripping into the absurd.

Don't look for a dopamine hit from explosive plots. You won't find traditional characters to bond with. If you primarily read or write genre fiction—like romance, horror, fantasy, or sci-fi—this collection may leave you feeling uncomfortable, confused, or even disappointed. A classic hero's journey, a romantic subplot, or a tidy resolution, is absent here. These stories trust you with the ending AND the beginning! But if you read Etgar Keret, Lydia Davis, or Chekhov—and suspect the world's real drama happens just out of frame where everyone else is looking—welcome.

Lifeguard—the first volume of Absurd Tales and Minimals—gathers short stories and "minimals" compressed to a single page or less. Built in the tradition of Kafka's parables, Borges's puzzles, and George Saunders, these are comedies wearing dark coats, and dark coats wearing comedies.

Inside you'll find independent stories rooted in cities, hospitals, and mountain roads. Bookshops crueler than kitchens, marriages ending in fur, and mountains keeping secrets. Absurdism played entirely straight, and flash fiction you can read in two minutes but will think about for two weeks.

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Volume 1 of Absurd Tales and Minimals.

Written by Eamon Fani

Word Count: Approximately 27,000 words.