Author Archives: Bob Hill

“Nothing came easy for him. Nothing deterred him – not the many editors and publishers who rejected his books and stories; not the Anthropology Department at the University of Chicago, which rejected not one but two of the theses he … Read More

A basement in Long Island (that I incorrectly assumed was a basement in Virginia) A beach A boardwalk stockroom A boiler room A car trunk A cowfield A full bathtub A jail cell A lawnshed A public bathroom stall A … Read More

(Good Pictures/Bad Camera is a regular feature on IFB.) 

“In many films there is a great confusion – especially in my particular genre of work – there’s a great confusion between the words ‘mystery’ and ‘suspense’. And the two things are absolutely miles apart. Mystery is an intellectual process, … Read More

By Bob Hill It was just past four in the afternoon when Eli decided to wander back and move a load of wash into the dryer. The communal laundry room had been strategicallly placed behind Eli’s parents’ house so that … Read More

(Good Pictures/Bad Camera is a regular feature on IFB.) … Read More

(Good Pictures/Bad Camera is a regular feature on IFB.) 

“The common story is one plus one equals two. We get it. But all the real, genuine stories are really about one and one equaling three. That’s what I’m interested in. We live in a rational world where we’re absolutely … Read More

“At 318, the geeks … they are the athletes.” So says Fortunato Rubino, late principal of a popular intermediate school in Brooklyn that has won 26 national chess championships (and counting) over the past 15 years. Impressive, no? Perhaps even … Read More

By Bob Hill Billy Lee would often tell me how much he had hated me when we were in high school. There was little harm in this. After the two of us had graduated, we became fast friends. I emulated Billy. He … Read More