The Darling of the Blackrock Desert: Three novellas set in the West: Three Novellas Set in the West

From the critically acclaimed short fiction writer Laura Newman, whose first collection of stories, PW effused “with candor and wry wit, and memorable details, these stories shimmer,” come three, thematically-liked, quirky yet resonant novellas that together form an unusual and original view of western American life. In The Darling of the Black Rock Desert, Julia loves Howi, but never intends to marry him until she realizes she’s pregnant with few options; it is, after all, 1960.Life becomes more complicated and yet richer when their darling daughter, Nia, is born with a physical disability.Despite her infirmity, Nia manages to have a fairly normal, happy childhood, beloved by her best friend Wynona and their male sidekicks until tragedy strikes and family life comes undone. It’s 1986 in City of Angels when Henri and Simone Bouchard meet in the iconic Los Angeles Central Library.Simone is a college art student, and Lenny is a Viet Nam vet trying to survive extreme PTSD.They strike up a