Pop culture and the balladry of bedlam collide in this wry debut that volunteers a transfusion of the unpredictable to readers yearning for more than a muralized Olive Garden world.

In [Sharps], a visit to the last Dollar Store becomes a meditation on the global supply chain. Unicorns and sarcophagi turn up in the most unlikely of places. Pushers shark outside of a short-staffed methadone clinic. A fan of Bill Callahan almost falls into New York's underbelly. Canmore moviegoers scoff at Alec Baldwin, and the Queen resembles Rip Torn.