Late Returns
by Joe Hill
Commercial truck driver John Davies finds out about the death of his parents from a letter written by his father. He returns to their modest family home in Kingsward, New Hampshire, to deal with the aftermath. Where, in a shoebox under the bed, he finds his mother’s overdue copy of the novel Another Marvelous Thing. When he brings it to the local library, he ends up with a gig driving a vintage Bookmobile covered in psychedelic literary murals. It feels meant to be--especially given that his parents first met in the very same vehicle, grabbing for the lone copy of a Portrait of Joan Baez LP.
In a story that’s strongly reminiscent of Jack Finney, John soon learns that the Bookmobile doesn’t only receive visitors from the present. Ghosts, known as “late returns,” show up from time to time, seeing books from the future as blurs or with magically transformed jackets that fit their period. They show up looking for stories only the Bookmobile can give them. But John begins to wonder if he can change their pasts, if he can save those in need of it…
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Commercial truck driver John Davies finds out about the death of his parents from a letter written by his father. He returns to their modest family home in Kingsward, New Hampshire, to deal with the aftermath. Where, in a shoebox under the bed, he finds his mother’s overdue copy of the novel Another Marvelous Thing. When he brings it to the local library, he ends up with a gig driving a vintage Bookmobile covered in psychedelic literary murals. It feels meant to be--especially given that his parents first met in the very same vehicle, grabbing for the lone copy of a Portrait of Joan Baez LP. In a story that’s strongly reminiscent of Jack Finney, John soon learns that the Bookmobile doesn’t only receive visitors from the present. Ghosts, known as “late returns,” show up from time to time, seeing books from the future as blurs or with magically transformed jackets that fit their period. They show up looking for stories only the Bookmobile can give them. But John begins to wonder if he can change their pasts, if he can save those in need of it…