Abstract
As the title implies, these stories explore what is absent in the lives of each character and in the world we live in today. The Lamonts, in the title story, may or may not exist. Only Johnson begins to realize what is missing, both from the town and from his own life. Although Weldon in the second story has experienced the loss of a child, it is not until he encounters a little girl and her father that he remembers and attempts to reach out. Suzie, in the final story, simply leaves Oblong on a quest for something she cannot articulate. None of these characters know what is missing, and they may not even be aware of what is lacking, yet they are moved to seek something outside of themselves and their worlds. The stories in this collection do not offer answers; rather, they ask the reader to question his or her own motivations.