“Objects & Giants”, published in 2015 by author Eric Norcross is the latest installment to previous reads such as “The Violin Diary” (2007). Readers follow protagonist Julian, who within the routine of a New York City cosmopolitan life, is forced to return home and acknowledge the brutal truths and realities of a past life. For the protagonist, the memories of growing up in a small town surrounded by a cast of stereotypical high-school archetypes and dead-beats are ones he has worked hard to forget. It is the reception of a phone call that he is forced to confront his reasons for leaving it all behind.

Simplistic and pragmatic in nature, the story characterizes a strong sense of ‘dirty realism’ towards the seamier and more mundane aspects of ordinary life in spare, unadorned language. Removed are the grandeur statements of drama drawn out between characters or the inflated ‘internal struggles’ that so often plague fictitious protagonists. Void are any references to the “hero’s journey”, “trials and tribulations”, or “good overcomes evil” narratives. This is, in a pure sense, reading within the format of everyday life and reality as it is, and unfolds.

Never while immersed within the reading was I bogged down by pretentious detail or extraneous filler. Norcross demonstrates an innate skill in showing the realities of a person’s life that is no more different to our own. Within this framework, everyday life proves to be refreshing. Readers are able to observe and assess the nature of Julian’s situation, and establish parallels between his choices and their own. 

At no time does the author’s ‘voice’ intrude, nor impair the overall tone of the reading. The story itself becomes an examination of reality, the unintended consequences that arise from choices and how one acts or reacts. “Objects & Giants” heightens the humanism of life and the unforeseeable nature associated with decision-making. We are prompted to reflect on our lives, the nature of decisions made and ask how aware one is of their choices.

We come to ask ourselves simply: Is one able to comprehend the consequences that choices carry in life and that willingness to accept and/or confront the weight of those outcomes? ”Objects & Giants” forced me to answer this question, and in doing so, revealed the nature of decisions that has contributed to defining the humanism in my life.

                                                                                                  -Mike / Goodreads User