A Shortcut in Time

Charles Dickinsons novels and short stories have won widespread acclaim for their deft characterization humanity and humor. Newsday described him as a writer thoroughly in command of his art while the Chicago Tribune wrote he can surprise us at almost every turn.. Now Dickinson slips beyond the bounds of mundane realism to create a poignant fantasy that bears comparison to the work of Jack Finney and Jonathan Carroll.. Euclid Illinois is a town of many shortcuts between houses through orchards and across fields. Josh Winkler a local artist and longtime resident knows these irregular pathways well but is thoroughly taken aback when a hasty dash down a familiar walk deposits him fifteen minutes in the past--literally. At first Josh is more intrigued than alarmed by this accidental time travel. Then a lost young woman appears claiming to be from 1908 . . . .. As his life his family his town and even history itself begin to unravel Josh gradually realizes that his only salvation may lie in A Shortcut Time.. Charles Dickinson has written a moving and unforgettable book about the way the past can affect the present as well as sometimes the other way around.