Need [Paperback]

Robert Thomson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 18, 2009

Robert Thomson's second collection of short, gay-themed stories marks his growth as an observer with a pen. Thomson delves incisively into the varieties of need we experience - sometimes through emotional fireworks, but more often in the personal, quiet, sometimes funny, and painful details of daily life. Written with immediacy, grace and wit, the 16 stories in this collection can be held up like mirrors to our emotional selves.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Engaging and sometimes striking in their insights, offering ghastly-funny snapshots of queer Toronto. Almost all the characters here, whether downtown queer or suburban housewife, are grappling with the tension between who they are and who they're expected to be. In the opening tale, and amateur drag artist realizes he's been torn for years between the squeaky-clean passions of Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music and his deeper attraction to the imagery of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. His solution? He melds the film characters of Julie Andrews and Tim Curry into a drag personal named Maria Von Frank N Trapp Furter. --Xtra

There is an immediacy to Thomson's writing, a sense that he is capturing the fleeting thoughts which comprise the texture of day-to-day life. The voices of his characters are cacophonic, diverse, made coherent and unified by the common denominator of the author's guiding hand. Need is a book that belongs on the nightstand as much as Tylenol or condoms. Highly recommended. --David Crosson, Outlooks magazine

Thomson has an engaging, almost inexorable writing style. He has a knack for hooking the reader into the text almost immediately. Mr. Thomson's energetic writing style and succinct format combine to create wonderful glimpses into the personal peccadilloes of anyone's life, gay or otherwise. --Xtra West

About the Author

Robert Thomson's short stories have appeared in US and Canadian anthologies throughout the 1990s. His first book, Secret Things, released through his own imprint, received favorable reviews and sold well. Need, his second collection of short stories is now available in its original format, with alternative drafts and audio-book formats available for download from the author's website. Thomson has worked as a journalist, video editor, lyricist, and screenwriter. Through the years, he has continued to document the emotional and physical lives of gay men and has begun creating a body of short films. Thomson is currently working on a third collection of short fiction as well as continuing development of two feature-length scripts. He lives in Toronto, Canada.

Product Details

• Paperback: 139 pages
• Publisher: Immediate Press (February 18, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1896332102
• ISBN-13: 978-1896332109
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,734,884 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A worthwhile investment for the short story enthusiast, July 9, 2009

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Need (Paperback)

Need is a primal desire, overwhelming a simple craving. "Need" is a collection of short stories from Robert Thomson exploring the concept of need and how it drives people to do things they say they never would do. Honest and candid, these stories explore the frankness of human nature and are highly entertaining. "Need" is a worthwhile investment for the short story enthusiast.