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When the Fall is All There Is
Joe Pace’s When the Fall Is All There Is hit me like a punch to the gut. It’s a novel about failure, but not the kind that comes from a lack of effort. It’s the kind that creeps in despite talent, intelligence, and hard work—the kind that haunts a person. Ted Gray was once the pride of Stockbridge, New Hampshire. Quarterback. Valedictorian. Class president. A golden boy destined for greatness. But instead of conquering the world, he ends up right back where he started, a man with a past too big for his present. The novel follows Ted as he wrestles with his own shortcomings, navigating the expectations of a town that once saw him as its shining star.
Pace’s writing is razor-sharp, full of sentences that cut deep. The opening lines set the tone perfectly: “Stockbridge tasted like failure, merciless and bitter.” That bitterness bleeds into every scene as Ted moves through the town that once worshiped him. The details about Stockbridge itself, the war memorial, the rundown train station, the high school that still holds ghosts of his past make the setting feel alive. Pace has a way of making small-town nostalgia feel both comforting and suffocating at the same time.
What makes the novel really hit home is its brutal honesty about success and expectations. Ted isn’t a washed-up loser, but he’s not a winner either; he’s something in between, stuck in a limbo that’s painfully relatable. There’s a scene where he walks past his old high school, seeing his former self in every brick and blade of grass, and it’s heartbreaking. He’s not just mourning lost potential; he’s trying to figure out if he was ever that great to begin with. And then there’s Jill Ward, a woman from his past with a quiet grudge against him. Their interactions crackle with unspoken resentment and regret, adding another layer to Ted’s unraveling identity.
The sports element especially the football flashbacks is handled masterfully. The game commentary interwoven with Ted’s memories of the championship he lost is a gut-wrenching device. The repeated countdown of the final seconds, mirroring his fall from grace, builds a tension that lingers long after the scene ends. But it’s not really about football. It’s about the weight of expectations, about how a single moment can define a person even years later. Pace makes it clear: Stockbridge hasn’t forgotten Ted Gray’s fall, and neither has he.
I’d recommend When the Fall Is All There Is to anyone who’s ever felt the sting of falling short whether in sports, school, or life itself. It’s for people who know what it’s like to return home and feel like a stranger. It’s for readers who appreciate introspective, character-driven stories with a sharp emotional edge. Pace doesn’t offer easy answers, but he does offer a raw, powerful story about finding meaning when everything you thought you’d be is out of reach. This book lingers. It makes you think. And, like all great stories, it hurts in the best way possible.
Pages: 238 | ASIN : B0DQDY2X9J
After Lisa
After Lisa by Joe Pace is a poignant exploration of grief, capturing the multifaceted experiences of Andrew Chester as he navigates life after the loss of his young wife, Lisa, to breast cancer. This narrative delves deeply into the complexities of sorrow, love, and resilience, offering an intimate glimpse into Andrew’s journey.
From the very beginning, Pace’s writing evokes a powerful emotional response. The depiction of Andy returning home from the hospice, burdened by his wife’s final words, is a vivid and touching scene. The story intricately portrays Andy’s struggle to reconcile his various roles – as a husband, widower, father, and more – all while being engulfed by grief. The presence of a supportive cast, including his friend Buddy, sister Nan, and two young children, adds layers to his experience, illustrating the challenges and nuances of moving forward. Pace’s narrative style is notable for its simplicity and effectiveness. His skillful use of imagery and the rich portrayal of Andy and Lisa’s life together make their story resonate deeply. The novel seamlessly weaves past and present, offering a holistic view of their relationship, encompassing the joys and challenges of love. The author’s handling of grief is particularly commendable. He captures the essence of this complex emotion, from its overwhelming emptiness to its intense pain, in a manner that is both relatable and profound.
Joe Pace’s After Lisa is more than just a story of loss; it’s a testament to the enduring nature of love and the human spirit’s capacity to heal. It acknowledges that love, in all its imperfections and with its blend of joy and sorrow, remains a powerful force, ever-present even in the face of loss.
Pages: 285 | ASIN : B0CPDFLM3P
His Father’s Pervasive Shadow
Moss follows the son of a famous writer as he tries to live up to his father’s reputation, and discovers all is not as it appeared. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
The original manuscript began with the character of Isaiah Moss, an aging literary legend trying to create one more masterpiece. As much as I enjoyed writing that character, I felt it needed a more unique lens to tell his story. I thought about my relationship with my own father (a much, much, better father than Isaiah!) and how he was (and is) such a big man. People I met would tell me stories about him and his outsized persona. From there, Oscar’s sense of his father’s pervasive shadow began to develop as a frame for Isaiah’s story.
Oscar goes through a lot of changes in this novel. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
Oscar is an arrested adolescent in many ways. It’s not uncommon among my generational cohort. With Boomers refusing to yield up their political or cultural or economic authority, men of my age have been relegated to this extended childhood. In some ways, it’s great – superhero movies, right? But I think many of us feel this sense that we’re not living up to our own potential, that our scribbled notebooks are in the basement. This novel isn’t an allegorical treatment of generational conflict, at least not expressly. But Oscar needs to both embrace and escape his father’s legacy, and the only way for him to do that is to grow up and start accepting responsibility for who he is and what he can bring to the world. Moss is, among other things, a coming-of-age tale for a mid-life man.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
The tale grew in the telling, as they say. The overt themes include the lasting price of war, the cost of art and celebrity, and the inherent tension of fathers and sons. But it’s also about the courage required to chase our dreams. Another theme that is a little more subtle has to do with Oscar’s treatment of women. From his students, lovers, and mother to all the other women he encounters. One conceit of the novel is that virtually all of Oscar’s encounters in the book are with women. The only men that appear are in the form of written artifacts. Part of what Oscar realizes through his relationship with May is that his father’s approach to intimacy and male-female relationships is just one flaw in the man’s dated world view.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I’m currently working on a novel that will explore the mid-life death of a spouse, the impact on the family, and how moving on from the love of your life can even be possible. I’m hoping to have it available before the end of 2022.
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But as Oscar wrestles with his own twisted inspirations, he meets the women in Isaiah’s life and begins to learn the depths of his father’s secrets…and the costs that come with unresolved trauma and romantic delusion.
Moss
Joe Pace’s Moss is a literary work that portrays the life of Oscar Kendall after the death of his father. For a long time, his greatest shadow was his father, Isaiah Moss.
Oscar’s feelings for his father show the reality of someone who feels so small and incapable in front of his father’s personification and achievements. Isaiah, a renowned writer, experienced several achievements and received top awards throughout his career. On the other side was his son, who wanted the same for himself. However, the fear of failure was greater than his will to succeed in what he did. Isaiah’s influence follows Oscar causing him to lose his identity and almost always question whether he was good enough.
During the course of the book, the main character goes through several experiences after inheriting his father’s cabin in New Hampshire. The author writes in first person from the perspective of Oscar. This allows readers to empathize with Oscar as he describes his feelings about his father and his influence. Then, the war veteran, May, enters the story, which causes Oscar’s love life to take a significant turn.
Being in front of his father’s things and coming to understand him when he had passed away changed Oscar’s perception of many things that, for him, were static. At certain moments, I felt sad for Oscar’s loss and the turn of things in his life. However, with the engaging narration, Oscar’s particular sense of humor, perceptive worldview along with the author’s clear writing, the story is very enjoyable and carries the reader swiftly to the end.
Moss is an impassioned novel about love and loss and how complex they are depending on your perspective. A work of literary fiction and self-discovery, readers will follow Oscar as he discovers the truth about his father and himself.
Pages: 242 | ASIN : B09PJCL9JZ
LITERARY TITAN 