Nine

Nine is the second collection of short stories from New Mexico writer Tom Baumgartel. Readers of his first book, Pieces of Eight, all deemed the book not only worth reading but have written that it provides a wide array of situations in which believable characters attempt to navigate the more difficult challenges life presents them. The themes in Nine range from love lost to race relations in the 1920s to aging to confronting death, and his main characters include two old women, two two young men, and a variety of middle aged persons of both sexes. Three of the stories take place in the past while the rest are set in contemporary times. Baumgartel's careful prose and reflective point of view enhance the connections readers feel to his characters and their challenges. Baumgartel believes that a good story provides a window into a character's entire life and psyche and poses deep questions about our natures and why we make the decisions we make.