THE MISSING

Tuttle’s debut short story collection finds its characters sifting through loneliness and dissociation in their somber lives.

The book opens with “I Saw Him Sleeping,” in which the events of young Marcella’s troubled childhood land her in a Colorado detention center; later, she’s sent to a residential treatment center, which feels like anything but a real home. Marcella staves off boredom and loneliness by forging a relationship with fellow teen Carlos; she’s separated from her mother and beloved brother. The characters throughout the collection’s seven stories often feel isolated, even in a family household. The mother in “112 Months,” for example, continues to feel a profound separation from her infant son, who died nearly a decade ago. A few of these stories boast a memorable, unnerving David Lynch–ian vibe involving a disconnect from reality. There’s an elementary school janitor in “Horizontal Hold” whose repeated viewings of an old TV murder mystery parallel the increasingly violent real life he observes around him; in “Stray Socks,”there’s a wife and mother of three who seems to struggle with distinguishing dreams from memories. Tuttle’s masterful dialogue surprises time and again, as seemingly trivial conversations deliver profundity: In the case of “Stranger,” a man’s description of another character is closer to the truth than he thinks: “Most of the time, you aren’t all here, and when you’re here, it’s as if you’re about to leave.” A notable theme of motherhood crops up throughout; “112 Months” may be the book’s most heartfelt offering, but other characters also experience intense emotions tied to pregnancy and experience self-isolation. The sole downside to this superlative book is that it’s too brief, but these stories are likely to hold up to multiple readings.

Dark, sometimes despairing tales that inspire and impress.