Self-Defense

by Corey Mertes

A morally dubious chef reacts unconventionally when he comes to believe that his prized dog has killed the pet rabbit of the middle-school girl next door; an angry, second-rate actor seeks a life-affirming path in a place that offers only oddities and dreams; two gamblers descend into chaos and despair; and a love affair between an aging Texas wildcatter and a mercurial art teacher at his son's school goes tragically awry. Crackling with raw truths and lyrical prose, the twelve stories in Corey Mertes's Self-Defense follow their down-on-their luck protagonists through life's narrow passes to its isolated valleys below.

148 pages, Paperback

Published February 1, 2023

About the author

Corey Mertes grew up in Chicago. He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago, an MFA in Film and Television Production from the University of Southern California, and a law degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. His short stories have appeared in many journals and have been shortlisted for the American Fiction Short Story Award, the Tartts Fiction Award and the Hudson Prize. His debut short story collection, Self-Defense, was published in February 2023 by Cornerstone Press.

Reviews

[Nat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every person in this collection is morally dubious person, I loved every second of getting to know them and their fucked up ness

[Sarah Doubenmier · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't think I'm a "short story" type of person. I'm definitely out of practice. These stories were overall depressing and somewhat obscure. I liked the first one the best.