Reviewed by Mark Massaro
Men Behaving Badly
by Tim O’Leary
Rare Bird Books
February 2024, 168 pages,
ISBN-13: 978-1644283974
The Corona Verses
by Tim O’Leary
Rare Bird Books
July 2025, 170 pages, ISBN-13: 978-1644285077
In Men Behaving Badly and The Corona Verses, now available in paperback, Tim O’Leary turns his sharp, satirical gaze on an America in crisis—whether that crisis takes the form of a global pandemic or the everyday impact of toxic masculinity on American culture. Though wildly different in scope and setting, both collections grapple with disconnection, delusion, and the frayed social fabric of contemporary life. O’Leary’s signature mix of gallows humor, moral clarity, and surprising tenderness runs through every page, whether he’s chronicling a UPS driver who saves a beach town from collapse or sketching the impact of a Klansman with unflinching honesty. What unites these stories is not just their bite, but their belief—often buried, often bruised—in the possibility of redemption, resistance, and community.
Men Behaving Badly (Shortlisted for the High Plains Book Awards) showcases laugh-out-loud moments alongside sobering human insights, striking a chord with readers through its fearless storytelling and emotional complexity. In “Made Men,” a retired rancher relocates to an Arizona retirement community, only to find himself at odds with an HOA run like a miniature police state. As his wife thrives, he battles passive-aggressive neighbors and confronts the loss of personal freedom. It’s a story of aging and adaptation, touching and funny in equal parts, with a vivid sense of place and character. “The Pass List” offers a snappy take on marriage dynamics, as a seemingly innocent anniversary game of celebrity crushes spirals into something more revealing. Katie’s attempt to spice up her relationship backfires when her husband takes her offer too literally, exposing the delicate, unspoken negotiations at the heart of long-term partnership and assumptions.
O’Leary excels at placing ordinary people in morally or emotionally complex situations, often exposing the cracks in American ideals. Nowhere is this more evident than in “The Klansman,” where a Black man learns that his biological father is a dying white supremacist on death row. The story resists easy judgment, instead leaning into absurdity and pathos to explore legacy, grace, and the subjective experience of justice. Across the collection, whether he’s highlighting the tension between technology and humanity in “Raging,” unearthing the impact of toxic capitalism on the earth in “Raping the Goddess,” or unpacking familial legacy in “Secret Creek,” O’Leary delivers sharp satire with a deep human core. His stories often ask: What power structures shape our lives? And how do we respond when they begin to crack? By finding dignity in struggle and humor in absurdity, O’Leary delivers fiction that’s both entertaining and quietly subversive, blending sharp humor, social commentary, and emotional depth throughout Men Behaving Badly.
O’Leary’s The Corona Verses offers a sharply observed and darkly funny portrait of a small coastal town grappling with the psychological, social, and emotional fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. Blending interconnected stories with a novelistic sweep, O’Leary explores themes of isolation, resilience, technology, and community in the face of unprecedented disruption and shared loss. The collection captures the surreal atmosphere of the pandemic—sanitized routines, fractured relationships, unexpected bonds, and shifting identities—while maintaining a thread of humor that keeps the tone buoyant even in its most sobering moments.
What makes The Corona Verses especially compelling is the presence of Al, a local UPS driver who moves through the town like a quiet witness and guide, offering moments of connection that tie the otherwise disparate narratives together. His recurring appearances form a subtle but powerful thread, reminding readers that we are all connected. O’Leary is attuned to the absurdities of modern life, particularly the way crisis exposes long-simmering tensions and reconfigures our understanding of purpose, belonging, and truth. This collection weaves together multiple perspectives with equal compassion and holds a mirror to a world turned upside down, revealing how disruption often forces people to reckon with both their limitations and their capacity for change.
With both Men Behaving Badly and The Corona Verses, both published by Rare Bird Books, Tim O’Leary proves himself a master of the short form, unafraid to wade into messy, uncomfortable terrain with equal parts irreverence and empathy. These aren’t just stories about individual characters—they’re honest reflections of a country in flux, where comedy and tragedy often sit side by side. O’Leary’s writing never loses sight of the bigger picture, even as it drills down into the intimate and the absurd which is a refreshing respite from the reality of tragedy. What emerges is a body of work that’s bitingly funny, often poignant, and always aware of the fragile, complicated connections that hold people—and communities—together.
About the reviewer: Mark Massaro earned a master’s degree in English Language & Literature from Florida Gulf Coast University, and he is currently a Professor of English at a state college in Florida. His writing has been published in The Georgia Review, The Hill, Los Angeles Review of Books, The Master’s Review, Newsweek, The Colorado Review, and many others.