UC Riverside

A retired soldier and his timid girlfriend. Two teenagers who are underemployed and overaged. A man who knows what he wants but not how to get it and his ex who knows how to get what she wants but not exactly what that is.

What do all of these people have in common? They live in Westfield, New York, a town with just as many traffic lights as panoramic views of nearby Lake Erie and with about as many bartenders as schoolteachers. Everyone wants to leave, but nobody knows where to go.

Marine Biology is a cycle of short stories linked by a small town and a tragic accident, 34,000 words of hope leaving and anger arriving. Who knew a cookie sheet could cause such problems?