Publisher's Synopsis
Cracker Jacks for Misfits is the Millenial story of four people who find themselves caught in the crosshairs of modern-day chaos as they discover independence, strength, and the power to love.In a series of interconnected short stories, Christine Ottoni tells the tale of a highly sensitive caregiver, Naomi, and her relationship with her reclusive, artistic mother, Joanne.From a whirlwind romance with a manic bartender named Marce, to an intense friendship with an ineffectual alcoholic named Jake, Naomi's search for intimacy and home is marked by urban claustrophobia and loneliness. The characters of Cracker Jacks for Misfits are hungry for human connection. They look for it online, in the unfamiliar bedrooms of Toronto, and in hushed conversations with strangers. Their stories are real - so real that we can all identify with their struggle. A portrait of millennial discontent and overconnectedness, Cracker Jacks for Misfits is about the moment when childhood becomes a new country of adult commitments and responsibilities. These stories are about the strange, intimate worlds we share with others, in dive bars, on road trips, and on the curb outside house parties. Ottoni presents a distinctive look at the struggle of a generation, and asks if we can every truly realise ourselves through our ability or inability to break free.This work of contemporary insight illuminates what is at the core of today's society: how important it is to understand and respect the sensibilities, goodness, strengths and frailties of those who we call friends, family, and the other. Cracker Jacks for Misfits is a moving and engaging narrative of a young person who finds their independence, strength, and power to love.
