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Before Our House Fell into the Ocean: Stories of Love and Death
Meet a most unusual cast of characters:
John Frost, a criminal who uses the strategies of chess to ferret out and punish the snitch in his drug-dealing organization.
Joey Douglas, a zombie who can't eat meat but craves coffee from his favorite barista.
Little Cinda, whose wish upon a falling star gives her the chance to see her deceased mother again.
Young Sonny, helpless to prevent his house from sliding off a cliff into the ocean.
Dax, an autistic boy who listens to the oak tree in his front yard and learns a hundred-year-old secret.
Gary, whose disfigured face can stop a clock, according to the bullies who torment him.
These and six other unforgettable characters are the dramatis personae in this offbeat collection of short stories. Fans of the Driftwood Mysteries will be pleased to find within these pages the epilogue to Dungeness and Dragons.
Be prepared to laugh and to cry, perhaps to be haunted by one of the voices you hear. After all, love and death sculpt our souls into shapes we couldn't have imagined.
John Frost, a criminal who uses the strategies of chess to ferret out and punish the snitch in his drug-dealing organization.
Joey Douglas, a zombie who can't eat meat but craves coffee from his favorite barista.
Little Cinda, whose wish upon a falling star gives her the chance to see her deceased mother again.
Young Sonny, helpless to prevent his house from sliding off a cliff into the ocean.
Dax, an autistic boy who listens to the oak tree in his front yard and learns a hundred-year-old secret.
Gary, whose disfigured face can stop a clock, according to the bullies who torment him.
These and six other unforgettable characters are the dramatis personae in this offbeat collection of short stories. Fans of the Driftwood Mysteries will be pleased to find within these pages the epilogue to Dungeness and Dragons.
Be prepared to laugh and to cry, perhaps to be haunted by one of the voices you hear. After all, love and death sculpt our souls into shapes we couldn't have imagined.
- GenresEbooks
237 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 30, 2021
47 people are currently reading
462 people want to read
About the author
William J. Cook
13 books36 followersWilliam Cook is a Connecticut native transplanted to Oregon in 1989. He is a graduate of the State University of New York at Albany, where he received his Master's Degree in Social Work. He spent 37 years as a mental health therapist, and he is now enjoying his retirement with his artist wife.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
November 28, 2021
“Each substance of grief hath twenty shadows,” The Bard tells us, and in William Cook’s collection of short stories “Before Our House Fell into the Ocean”, he shines some light onto that shadiest shadow of grief, denial. Denial is a sneaky SOB, and one of its favorite tricks is to tell us that we just need to hang in there until things get back to normal. The truth that it keeps in the dark is that the “normal” we’re waiting to get back to no longer exists in this particular universe.
With a couple of exceptions, the dozen stories in this collection focus on what motivates us to finally embrace (or at least come to accept) the “new normal”. Sometimes it’s a big, scary lurch, letting us know we'd better run for our lives. Sometimes it’s the slow burn of falling in love. Often, it’s somewhere in between. I like the clean lines of these stories, and the way the reader knows they come straight from the heart. Personal favorite: “Coffee.” It’s a weird, almost Kafkaesque story that will wrap itself snugly around whatever your current source of angst happens to be. Like one of those “somebody done somebody wrong songs”, the particulars don’t matter; obviously, it’s about you. Minor quibble (there’s always one, right?): I didn’t think “Paper” was a good fit for this collection.
With a couple of exceptions, the dozen stories in this collection focus on what motivates us to finally embrace (or at least come to accept) the “new normal”. Sometimes it’s a big, scary lurch, letting us know we'd better run for our lives. Sometimes it’s the slow burn of falling in love. Often, it’s somewhere in between. I like the clean lines of these stories, and the way the reader knows they come straight from the heart. Personal favorite: “Coffee.” It’s a weird, almost Kafkaesque story that will wrap itself snugly around whatever your current source of angst happens to be. Like one of those “somebody done somebody wrong songs”, the particulars don’t matter; obviously, it’s about you. Minor quibble (there’s always one, right?): I didn’t think “Paper” was a good fit for this collection.
May 17, 2022
A fresh new collection of short stories from one of my favorite authors! Depend on Cook to entertain and make you think. First to last, each of these stories is engaging, deeply introspective, and (every one, on its own terms) redemptive.
November 5, 2021
I've read two short story collections from Bill Cook. Both have been excellent. They've each had a few gems that were always going to be pretty hard to top. He manages to top them in this collection. Filled with humour, wisdom and visceral insight into the human condition, this is an outstanding collection.
Buy a copy.
Read it.
Thank me later.
Buy a copy.
Read it.
Thank me later.
October 5, 2021
A fine collection of stories filled with deep insights into the human psyche. The author’s personal experience attending seminary for the priesthood, then choosing a career as a mental health therapist makes for a strong sense of verisimilitude in two of my favorite stories – “Bad Seed” and “Rain.” I don’t think anyone else could’ve written them.
In “Bad Seed,” the main character is a therapist second guessing his decision decades before to abandon his plan to become a priest. In first person narration, he reacts strongly while visiting his former seminary to a quote he sees on the cornerstone of a building: “The Hope of the Harvest is in the Seed.” The narrator asks himself “but what about the seed that doesn’t sprout? The bad seed?” Truly, a well-told exploration of regret and insight.
“Rain” is set in the early 1960s, featuring a young priest with doubts about his chosen path. I could see this story like a movie playing in my mind. “Bad Seed” and “Rain” feel like part one and part two of a man’s coming to terms with the choices he’s made. But each stands on its own as a well-told tale.
Another favorite is “The Arborist.” Cook combines an autistic boy, his concerned parents and an ancient tree to tell a story with a touch of magical realism. Nicely done.
Highly recommended.
In “Bad Seed,” the main character is a therapist second guessing his decision decades before to abandon his plan to become a priest. In first person narration, he reacts strongly while visiting his former seminary to a quote he sees on the cornerstone of a building: “The Hope of the Harvest is in the Seed.” The narrator asks himself “but what about the seed that doesn’t sprout? The bad seed?” Truly, a well-told exploration of regret and insight.
“Rain” is set in the early 1960s, featuring a young priest with doubts about his chosen path. I could see this story like a movie playing in my mind. “Bad Seed” and “Rain” feel like part one and part two of a man’s coming to terms with the choices he’s made. But each stands on its own as a well-told tale.
Another favorite is “The Arborist.” Cook combines an autistic boy, his concerned parents and an ancient tree to tell a story with a touch of magical realism. Nicely done.
Highly recommended.
October 3, 2021
William Cook is a masterful short story writer. This collection is as brilliant as any of his earlier ones; I think the man just gets better with each new book. Humanity and grief, wisdom and humour - the stories all revolve around these themes, but what shines through the book is Cook's compassion for us all. 'Widowmaker' (which is, I guess, the title story) and 'The Sword' are my favourites for now. That may change when I re-read the book! 'In 'Before Our House Fell into the Ocean' the high art of Cook's writing touches the heart of humanity. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
September 26, 2021
Excellent short stories!!!
February 4, 2026
Before Our House Fell into the Ocean is an offbeat, emotionally rich collection that explores love and death through an unforgettable cast of voices. William J. Cook has a gift for blending the strange with the deeply human, creating stories that feel whimsical on the surface yet resonate with genuine emotional weight beneath.
From a chess-minded criminal and a coffee-loving zombie to children grappling with loss, bullying, and secrets whispered by trees, each character feels distinct and thoughtfully imagined. What unites them is not genre, but vulnerability. These stories ask the reader to sit with grief, compassion, and resilience in ways that feel honest rather than sentimental.
Cook’s prose moves effortlessly between humor and heartbreak, often within the same page. The collection invites laughter, reflection, and quiet sadness, sometimes all at once. Before Our House Fell into the Ocean succeeds because it trusts its characters and its readers to carry emotional complexity. It’s the kind of book that leaves certain voices echoing in your mind long after you’ve finished reading, gently reshaping how you think about love, loss, and survival.
From a chess-minded criminal and a coffee-loving zombie to children grappling with loss, bullying, and secrets whispered by trees, each character feels distinct and thoughtfully imagined. What unites them is not genre, but vulnerability. These stories ask the reader to sit with grief, compassion, and resilience in ways that feel honest rather than sentimental.
Cook’s prose moves effortlessly between humor and heartbreak, often within the same page. The collection invites laughter, reflection, and quiet sadness, sometimes all at once. Before Our House Fell into the Ocean succeeds because it trusts its characters and its readers to carry emotional complexity. It’s the kind of book that leaves certain voices echoing in your mind long after you’ve finished reading, gently reshaping how you think about love, loss, and survival.
January 3, 2022
This book wasn't quite what I was expecting from the description, but I was surprised in a good way. I don't usually like books with short stories, I prefer series where I can really get invested in the characters. However, the stories in this book packed an emotional punch and I finished the book in 2 sittings. The stories didn't give everything away, sometimes forcing you to read between the lines. It is a reminder of the random tragedies so many people face, but life simply moves on. There were 2 stories I couldn't get into, the one about the priest was quite long compared to the others and I skipped much of it (but that's my personal preference as I have zero interest in stories about people's conflicts with their religious beliefs). Other than that, every other story was worth reading.
May 28, 2024
I think I got this for free years ago for Kindle from Amazon, and it's a winner! I'm a big fan of short stories and I think it's harder to write that than a novel since each word has to count.
If you're a fan of the Oregon coastline, I think all the stories are set there.
My favorites were the stories regarding men who were priests, or attending a seminary high school. (I didn't know those existed--a "minor" seminary vs the "majors".) I'm not Catholic, but I can't be the only one who wonders what the attraction is. One can do good without being a priest.
Yes! I wondered about this too...I think "confessions" would get old real quick.
If you're a fan of the Oregon coastline, I think all the stories are set there.
My favorites were the stories regarding men who were priests, or attending a seminary high school. (I didn't know those existed--a "minor" seminary vs the "majors".) I'm not Catholic, but I can't be the only one who wonders what the attraction is. One can do good without being a priest.
Yes! I wondered about this too...I think "confessions" would get old real quick.
June 21, 2023
Some were so-so, some were good
I got this collection of short stories for a free read on a newsletter inam subscribed too. I enjoyed some of these stories, they were written well, capturing the descriptions, the emotions and the characters well. Some others didn't feel so wholesome.
There's an epilogue of some other story included as a short story in this collection. That was a clever idea, because the epilogue is very interesting and makes me want to read what led to this and what will happen after this.
I got this collection of short stories for a free read on a newsletter inam subscribed too. I enjoyed some of these stories, they were written well, capturing the descriptions, the emotions and the characters well. Some others didn't feel so wholesome.
There's an epilogue of some other story included as a short story in this collection. That was a clever idea, because the epilogue is very interesting and makes me want to read what led to this and what will happen after this.
May 30, 2023
Absolutely LOVED this collection: loved the quality of the writing, the pace, the characterization, and the diversity. Each story is utterly distinct from the last, taking you into a completely different universe and always leaving you with a sense of having been moved or affected.
I'm a British person based in northwest France so I have no experience of Oregon or most of the other locations for these tales, but they really spoke to me and I had that happy/sad feeling when I was getting near the end. Yes, I will be downloading more of William J Cook's work, obviously!
I'm a British person based in northwest France so I have no experience of Oregon or most of the other locations for these tales, but they really spoke to me and I had that happy/sad feeling when I was getting near the end. Yes, I will be downloading more of William J Cook's work, obviously!
August 13, 2022
Good set of short stories
Though not all were as intriguing as most, I thoroughly enjoyed reading through this set of books within a book.
Each book or story, made you think, brought something new to life, and gave a different perspective on things you might not be normally seeking in one large, long book.
Though not all were as intriguing as most, I thoroughly enjoyed reading through this set of books within a book.
Each book or story, made you think, brought something new to life, and gave a different perspective on things you might not be normally seeking in one large, long book.
January 5, 2022
Loved every one of these twelve short stories! There was a quiet insightfulness that really appealed to me. I ended the book with a tear in my eye and lots to think about. Well done, Mr. Cook.
I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway for this honest review.
I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway for this honest review.
November 25, 2021
Enjoyable storylines and read
September 17, 2025
Some of the short stories were really good. I found only one story, “PAPER” to have very abrasive language. The author is, obviously, very talented.
May 21, 2022
I really enjoyed this collection of short stories. I thought that each story was better than the last.
February 1, 2022
Brilliant.... I read this a month ago and I still remember the aunts and mother in the kitchen singing to the radio scene in 'Widowmaker'. 'Gargoyle' is a beautiful tale of tackling bullies and 'not judging a book by it's cover'. All great, a recommended read for our changing world.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews