Mind the Gap

<p>Justin Mayhaps is an advertising wiz turned web-based marketing guru and Ellis Presley is a musician-video artist on the cusp of indie/internet fame. They are both stuck: Justin in his unresolved guilt Ellis in her unresolved anger.</p><p><br></p><p>Cast against the immediate backdrop of South by Southwest Austin's annual multimedia Mardi Gras and the larger context of a growing social-cultural protest the eXit movement a revolution prompted by the exploding gap between the haves and have-nots Justin's and Ellis' stories are told simultaneously narrative tracks bound to intersect creating a portrait of imperfect symmetry.</p><p><br></p><p><em>I would like to applaud the timeliness and interest factor of the book's central plot relating to the eXit generation. Topical compelling and provocative the eXit plotline gives a certain kind of reader exactly what they need most in life - a way to think over our own contemporary issues. In that way the book provides not just literary interest but a social service.</em></p><p><br></p><p><em>The love story is a strong asset to the book. As understated and wry as its two protagonists it sustains a satisfying tension to the very last page.</em></p><p><br></p><p>Thomas Maurstad lives in Dallas TX. His collection of short stories <em>Flyover States</em> will be published in 2023. He is working on his next novel tentatively titled <em>Dreaming of Sleep</em>.</p>