The Usual Mistakes by Erin Flanagan

“If this second release to the fledgling 'Flyover Fiction' series is typical, one can safely predict that the series will be among the most significant in American letters. Flanagan writes with some of the same penetrating insights into the human condition that one finds in the work of Eudora Welty, Katherine Anne Porter, and Tennessee Williams. . . . Flanagan has a remarkable ability to penetrate the real people behind the facades they present to an often-judgemental public. This first collection augurs well for Flanagan's future. Hers is a singular talent. This book belongs in all collections supporting study of the short-story genre.”
— CHOICE

“In this aptly titled debut collection, Flanagan's midwestern characters are driven by regret. . . . Flanagan's characters aren't afraid to stir the pot in the course of the action either. . . . Most of these tales . . . particularly the title story, about a lonely widow and a tattooed girl in an unlikely alliance, are enjoyable and tender, as good outweighs regret after all.”
— Booklist