Praise for Driftwood: Stories from the Margarita Road
Anthony Lee Head’s Driftwood: Stories from the Margarita Road is an inspirational collection of interconnected short stories. Opening with moving vignettes, each powerfully conveys wanderlust, freedom, the search for paradise, and something more. With an exceptional writing style, Head brings the Mexican Caribbean beachside to life in beautifully crafted, heart-lifting tales.
*****
In Driftwood, Joseph Conrad collides with Jimmy Buffett in a journey through the dark heart of Mexico’s Riviera Maya. Weaving together the tales of American expats fleeing their mundane lives in the States for crystal-blue Caribbean water—and far too many pitchers of margaritas—author Anthony Lee Head makes it all so real because he has lived that life.
Bob Calhoun – bestselling author and journalist
*****
As someone with an innate wanderlust and many extended years in faraway lands, this book completely transported me into the notion of, “what if I REALLY stayed? The romance and repose of an idyllic beach, the camaraderie with fellow expats, the complexities of leaving all things familiar—and the harsh truths of living in the third world. These captivating characters, on their Margarita Road, intimately escorted me beyond my own return flights. Great read.
Adam Briles – producer/director of Survivor
and The Contender
*****
The setting for these sunlit, beguiling stories is Playa Paraiso, a Mexican beach town not yet overrun by high-rise resorts and franchise restaurants, and its characters are the wide range of people who come there seeking an earthly paradise. These tales of human foibles range from funny to touching, memorable to unforgettable.
Cyra McFadden – bestselling author
Anthony Lee Head’s delightful book Driftwood … snuck up on me like a stealthy lover, seized me and carried me away on every page. Life in Mexico is perceived with a sense of compassion and clarity. Don’t miss it.
Peter Coyote – bestselling author, actor,
and Emmy award winner
*****
This debut collection of short stories features an exotic location populated by believable people…Some stories are humorous; some are poignant; some defy description…There are also “Margaritaville”-type reflections and paeans to life off the middle-class, money-grubbing grid…The author is at his best with tales that may be rooted in the local milieu but are really universal. Truly wonderful and moving tales; the author is a writer to watch.
Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
*****
…somewhere between Jimmy Buffett and John Steinbeck, Driftwood hums with hardscrabble characters washed up on a Mexican beach and the wisdom found at the bottom of a glass.
Joel Selvin – bestselling author and
award-winning journalist
*****
I have thoroughly enjoyed every tale from this short story compilation novel with the depictions of the darker underbelly of Mexican life, the less than savoury behaviours of some ex-pats, and the love affairs that make up the gossip of any small community, to name but a couple of the subjects covered in the book. Head’s writing brings an array of distinctive characters alive with sharp dialogue mixed with Poppa’s impressions so that you become absorbed in the text, the individual stories unfolding at just the right pace.