Folks unable to wait for that April 15, 2022 release can order it on Kindle beginning on March 31, 2022. The benefits of getting a physical copy include a personalized message from the author. Such a tome will get a place of honor in the library of your not-so-humble reviewer.
The fun begins with a foreword by Leslie "Brother Boy" Jordan that explains how his beautiful friendship with Shores and the related spark of inspiration that led to oodles of sordid delight began. The 25-words-or-less version is that Jordan gave Shores a book by a southern writer that inspired the latter to share his stories of his eccentric friends and relatives. Those white papers on white trash led to the (reviewed) film "Sordid Lives." The rest is history.
The introduction by Shores largely repeats the insight of his pint-sized brother from another mama. Shores adds that the origin of all this is a short-story titled Nicotine Fit, which is a bonus chapter in Saga. That tale centers on his real-life Aunt Sissy (nee Marie) using a popular negative reinforcement method to try to stop smoking. That true Winters story is included either in the "Lives" sequel "A Very Sordid Wedding" or the Logo prequel series "Sordid Lives the Series," which stars a perfectly cast Rue McCalanahan as Peggy Ingram.
Speaking of Peggy, Saga introduces us to her before her fatal attraction that leaves a philandering husband without a leg on which to stand. We met her in the wake (no pun intended) of the death of her not-so-dearly departed husband. Ala fellow Tennessee Williams style southern widow Blanche Deveraux, Peggy has long unrequited lust in her heart for much younger man Wardell Owens. A related reveal is the real heat that Wardell is packing. This likely further endears Shores to former brother-in-law Newell Alexander, who portrays Wardell.
This ties into the saga of the "night of" that changes everything. Good southern Baptist Peggy allowing freshly released guest-of-the-state/bar singer Bitsy Mae Harling to coerce her into going to Wardell's dive bar sets off a chain reaction that allows genuine hilarity to ensure throughout the entire "Sordid" franchise.
We also get further insight into L.A.-based actor Ty Williamson, who is a small-town boy who gets out in more ways than one. The introduction by Shores verifies the theory of many fans that Williamson is a semi-autobiographical character. This reveal (pun intended) enhances speculation that Shores once appeared in a play that required going the Full Monty.
A highlight of this portrait illustrates (pun once more intended) the talent of Shores for expertly taking things one step further. The book includes the "Lives" tale of Ty's mother Latrelle remedying the distress of her young son as to having to wear husky pants that are designed for chubby boys. Saga adds the element of getting stuck in an elevator immediately after that traumatic event terrorizing Ty.
Hairdresser Roger of the Beehive beauty shop is another secondary character whom Saga fleshes out. We learn more about the woes of being the only openly gay man in a small Bible Belt town.
The bottom line is that no one who revels in the exceptional wit and wisdom of Shores can ever learn everything that he or she wants to learn about the lives and loves of the fictional folks of Winters, Texas. However, Saga comes close.
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