There are seven defining moments in a person’s life. For Morris Bliss, the difficulty is in knowing which moments are defining. At age thirty-five, Morris Bliss is clamped in the jaws of New York City inertia: he wants to travel but has no money; he needs a job but has no prospects; he still shares a walk-up apartment with his father.
Enter Stefani, an eighteen-year-old girl in a catholic school uniform, and Morris’s once static life quickly unravels. Stefani’s father, oblivious to his daughter’s doings, calls on Morris to work for him; Morris’s best friend, N.J., whose only practice of economy is with the truth, is recruited by the Red Thread, an international cartel that controls global economics and local sex markets; and Morris’s father, a taciturn widower, finally reveals the truth surrounding the strange death of Morris’s mother.
A body at rest will remain at rest. Unless acted upon. With the agony of his inertia finally broken, Morris Bliss fights to keep his life from careening out of control. East Fifth Bliss follows Morris as he confronts the intricate and often confusing aspects of relationships, family, and identity. He must learn to adapt if he is to survive.
"This fun read boasts a likable protagonist, other quirky and interesting
characters, and vivid and humorous descriptions of New York while also providing some significant social commentary."
--Library Journal
"Light’s prose is careful, rhythmic, and economic; he deftly uses the weight of one sentence as a pendulum to push forward the next."
--John McCaffrey, KGB Bar Lit