THE STORY: ORRIN takes place in the Philadelphia home of a middle-class, upwardly mobile black family. Their well-ordered existence is suddenly shaken by the return of the eldest son, Orrin, a junkie and drug pusher who had been thrown out by his father many months before. Filled with bitterness and false courage, Orrin taunts his “upright” family with street talk and tales of his free-wheeling lifestyle. Despite his bravado, the loneliness and loss he feels are soon clear—as is the sad truth that the distance between him and his family is too great to overcome.
“Evans knows how to structure drama and how to impart a flow to his naturalistic dialogue.” —New Orleans Times-Picayune.
“There is a sharpness in the writing.” —The New York Times.
Included in the collection
The Prodigals.
