Marcus Maginniss

Out the Front Window: life goes on during the pandemic Marcus Maginniss

Set in Northern Virginia, this collection of stories uses the pandemic of the early 2020's as a backdrop to explore themes like political angst, schadenfreude, age and culture clashes, redemption, spousal control, corporate treachery, empathy, and reemergence. Out the Front Window, the tale that shares its name with the title, is about a man, wrought with cabin fever, who seeks out imperfections in his neighbors and orders gifts to fix their flaws. Night School follows a woman who is trying to begin a new career despite the resistance of her controlling husband. John Mosby Highway Revisited depicts a father trying to reconnect with his daughter during the pandemic despite being cut off from his family due to a gambling problem. These stories and more take us beyond the mask to show how people coped with life during these challenging times.