The Ice Cream Man and Other Stories

By: Sam Pink

Narrated by: Alan Carlson

It was, maybe, the first job I'd ever had where people were happy to see me. An odd feeling indeed, to wield this kind of power. To be this kind of force. As near to magical as any mortal should stride. A technician of unspeakable joy. Braving the neon mountains to return with blue raspberry concentrate. Tearing out sundae cone fangs from the mouths of snow beasts. And so on.

Cone dealer, sunshine stealer, alleyway counselor, lunch lady to the homeless, friend to the dead, maker of sandwiches. Metal wrangler. Stag among stags. And so it goes - another journey through time spent punched in. A life's work of working for a living. Blood, death, and violence. Dirty dishes, dead roaches, and sparkler-lit nights. Nights ahead and no real fate.

So, open your mouths because the forecast calls for sprinkles. Thirteen delights, scooped and served. Let it melt down your hand. Let the sun burn your face. It's The Ice Cream Man and Other Stories.

Praise for the book:

"Pink is a keen observer of the culture of minimum-wage jobs and low-rent studio apartments that is the reality of life for all those who don't find a cog space in today’s hyper-capitalist economy.” (The Guardian)

©2020 Softskull (P)2020 The Talking Book

Enjoyable and entertaining storytelling

Sam Pink give us insight into the lives of the invisible people all around us. The dishwasher. The sandwich maker. The loud guy in the apartment downstairs. The waiter at the reception hall. And yes, the Ice Cream Man. The vignettes of mundane real life are vivid and real in the 'dirty realism' style. Reminiscent of Bukowski's Post Office set in modern times.

Wonderful Collection

I enjoyed this book. Very good. Would recommend! It’s about working and how those workers interact.

e n t e r t a i n i n g

these stories bring light to the in-between conversations where the background characters get a voice too.. The stories were quite entertaining! Drive around with the ice cream man while you fold your laundry, listen to how the sandwich maker is doing while you take a walk, hang around Victoria and the boys while do some other thing ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Anyways.. Yop!

Despite the Constant Swearing...

I must have been in the right mood to listen to this.
Interesting viewpoints and short storytellings. Nothing earth shattering, just very ... grounded and tangible.
Quite a bit of swearing. Not usually my thing, but it wasn’t offensive the first time I listened to it. The second time; it felt unnecessary.
Narrator was good and I have several more from him on my list!

strange

Strange little snippets of gritty yet gorgeous life. I really liked it. Well written and narrated.
Dark yet full of wonder. excellent bit of work. Will be getting more fom author.