A Simplified Map of the Real World: The Renata Stories

Allred's A Simplified Map of the Real World is a collection of fifteen stories that are loosely connected to one another. All of them take place in the fictional town of Renata where the lives of families, farmers, loggers, and classmates interact with one another in strange and touching ways. While charting the geography of this made-up town, Allred also "navigates the stubborn geography of the human heart".