Tales From the Gas Station - A Fever Dream of Insomnia – Unreal Tales from a Night Clerk | Rite of Fancy Book Review

Unreal activities, as journaled by an insomniac store clerk.

A short summary:

Jack Townsend's Tales From the Gas Station takes a turn into the surreal. Unreal activities, as journaled by a convenience store clerk with insomnia, are exactly as bizarre as they sound. Late-night shifts blur into a kaleidoscope of weirdness, garden gnomes, strange customers, and moments that teeter on the brink of dream and delirium. It’s a world where sleep deprivation meets imagination, and where “it’s only weird if you make it weird” becomes less of a mantra and more of a survival strategy.

My favorite quote:

"It's only weird if you make it weird." 

- Jack Townsend, Tales From the Gas Station Volume 1

Questions to ponder while reading:

Are there stores you are afraid to visit?

How do you feel about garden gnomes?

My review:

This book was a ridiculously fun read. A fever dream of insomnia wrapped in fluorescent lights and humming coolers. I’ve always wondered what happens in convenience stores in the middle of the night, and this story delivers that answer in the most absurdly excellent way.

Every page feels like a hallucination brought on by too much caffeine and too little rest. There’s an undercurrent of loneliness, too, hidden behind the absurdity, something quietly human about finding meaning in the odd hours when the rest of the world sleeps.

And really, who expects garden gnomes to make an appearance at 3 a.m.? This one will leave you grinning, blinking, and maybe questioning what’s real the next time you grab a midnight snack.

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About the Author
a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller based in Tontitown, Arkansas.

She shares her journeys at Take the Back Roads, explores new reads at Rite of Fancy, and highlights U.S. military biographies at Everyday Patriot.

You can also browse her online photography gallery at shop.takethebackroads.com.

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