The author admits that these stories are embellished. I went in with an open mind, but they were downright unbelievable. He should have billed this as a fiction work.

Thank you to Netgalley and Audacity Press for this e-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

I read this book of short stories at the beginning of March, so many of the details escape me. However, I remember being incredibly moved by this collection. The stories are fictionalized accounts of true stories told by passengers in a ride-share.

The structure was unique with a through-line (the ride-share) that really worked. The stories were nuanced and gripping and managed to hold my attention despite their short length.

This was GREAT storytelling. I plan to reread this collection, which is a rarity for me.

Andrew Spink is a rideshare driver, and thanks to his line of work, he has heard many stories from his passengers while driving them to their destinations. Some are funny, some sad, some exquisitely touching. There’s something about riding in the rear seat of a car looking at the back of a stranger’s head that brings out truthful stories and anecdotes that people are willing to divulge or are itching to tell someone anonymous who will listen (like a bartender, for example). Andrew has named this work “Intersections,” with the subtitle “Life-changing Stories from My Rideshare Customers.” He explains his thoughts for the book (in which there is both real life and a bit of fiction) as follows: “Every interaction with anyone is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. An opportunity for lives to intersect. And, when we’re open to it, an opportunity for our lives to be changed in minute ways. Or in major ways. Every day we go through dozens of intersections, which hold infinite potential. The chance to learn or unlearn. To feel. To understand. To inspire. The opportunity to let go. To be energized or soothed. To gain perspective.” He proves his point with the nine carefully selected, powerful stories he chooses to share with readers, from a serendipitous meeting of two former high school sweethearts sharing the same ride, to a security coordinator of a tech company working with a security guard on the opposite side of the world to prevent a suicide, to a most thankful couple going out to a fancy dinner celebrating all of their blessings before the husband goes for stem cell treatment for his rare blood cancer, with 80-20 odds against him.

“Intersections” is a collection of nine touching, resonant stories of people who have the need to talk to someone but can’t for one reason or another, whether it’s a top-secret job or being alone in a strange place, thousands of miles from home. Sometimes, it’s easier to share secrets with a stranger, someone with no personal connection to you, a person to just listen. I have done the same thing to a lesser extent, speaking my thoughts aloud to a stranger shopping in the same clothing rack or commiserating in the slow-moving grocery checkout lane. No matter how independent or introverted we may be, we all crave human connection and the assurance that we are seen and accepted, even if it means merely wishing each other good luck and good health in the doctor’s office. Once on a whim in a coffee shop, I bought coffee for the person behind me in line, who was stunned for a moment, then bought the coffee for the person behind him. That woman did the same for the woman behind her, and on it went, all the way down the line. We smiled at each other, said our thank-yous, and for a moment we were connected as a group (cashier and coffee maker included) by the simple act of buying coffee for and expressing gratitude to each other. It made my day, and I believe we all need more of that. Most human interactions are usually warm and wonder-filled, and negative experiences are generally far fewer (though the negatives seem to outweigh the positives for many people, staying with them longer and becoming a sticking point). Andrew’s retelling of his experiences is well-written and heart warming. I was especially moved by the grateful couple going through hell who feel blessed by life and nature in spite of the husband’s looming death and what would probably be their last dinner out. Andrew engaged those who were willing to share, listening and showing each person that they were seen. I feel I am a better person for having intersected with Andrew’s work and experiencing the shared story of each person mentioned. I’d would absolutely love it if he wrote a sequel!

I’d like to thank NetGalley, Andrew Spink, and Audacity Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

As I am currently studying short stories I was keen to read Intersections when I was offered it as an ARC by NetGalley. The premise of using the stories of Uber passengers is a great one. This ended up being a book that I didn't quite know what to make of in the end. Each story felt as though it were written in a slightly different style as some were written from the driver's point of view and others seemed to use this as framing for a story written from the perspective of the passenger. I think I found it odd as there were times when it felt blurred as to whether the sections written from the passenger perspective were as told to the driver or Spink's imagination and interpretation of what had happened. For example when a passenger was narrating their thoughts it made me wonder whether someone would really go into that much detail of their inner monologue to a complete stranger? Perhaps they do, in which case, that is a fascinating insight into people on its own! Another similar example is when in the passenger's point of view and they give a relatively detailed description of themselves. Personally, I think this would have either worked better as Spink giving his impression of them otherwise I would be surprised if they would tell him how they perceived themselves when just chatting to a stranger. There was one part in 'Breath' where a paragraph was repeated later on and I couldn't work out if this was for dramatic effect or just an oversight on the part of the author but again this knocked me out of the story a little.

Overall, I found it a little hard to work out if these stories were intended to be Spink telling the passengers' stories as he was told them or whether he used a lot of artistic licence particularly with their internal monologues. For me, I could probably have accepted either if it had felt more consistent across the collection. One of the most effective stories for me though was 'The Last Supper' as this felt the most genuine. In fact. Spink makes a comment in the acknowledgements that suggests it was this story was the inspiration for the book,

Definitely not the book I was expecting. Confusing to read.
Thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.

Have you ever wanted to be a fly on the wall? Have you ever wondered what stories people confess and tell to complete strangers when they feel anonymous and safe, well, you are about to find out. Adam shared stories from the people he drove to their destinations using ride share. I find that people are more likely to confess and share things with strangers than they are people they love in their own lives. This could be due to shame, fear, guilt. Adam has captured these stories and put them here for us to see. Not out of gossip, or trying to embarrass others, but by letting us see that everyone has a story and sometimes one person story could change your life.

Thank you to Netgalley and Audacity Press for the chance to read this unique book. I just adored it.

I really did love this book! The stories are powerful and emotional in their own ways. And I just love that it is all tied together seamlessly. This book really opened my eyes to what Uber drivers may experience.

This little book is full of quirky anecdotes of random people. Just random rideshares who needed a lift. And destiny landed them in Andrew's car.

Andrew shares the stories of people from all different backgrounds and experiences. And fate (and Andrew & his editor) has spun these stories into a neat little collection.

I found each story uniquely fascinating. Some are funny, some are sad, and Andrew saved the best for last. And as I read each story, I found myself caught up in the lives of each rider in that moment.

Much too much to explain. You just have to experience it. Andrew would tell me that's just what life is about.

Enjoy!

I can imagine Uber drivers hear all kinds of stories on their shifts, much like bartenders.
The thread that connected these stories was beautiful and heartfelt.

This book was a fun, reflective read featuring several stories that are connected by only one thread: someone shared them with a ride share driver. The stories are pretty impactful on their own, but the recognition that we can connect to others with such complex lives and stories out of sheer chance is a powerful thing to reflect on. At points, the writing style felt a bit simplistic. There were times I felt the author was trying to make a point or be cheeky and it felt a bit forced. Overall, I did enjoy this book and would recommend it!

The idea of stories from ride-share customers was very intriguing. Kind of like a motorized confessional booth.
Unfortunately, I could not finish this book,
The prologue was great and really set my expectations to be high. However, the first story fell all over the place. There were too many point-of-view switches and the dialog was boring and felt forced.

The thread that connects all of these short stories is the first person perspective of an Uber driver. Once the driver describes how they picked up a client, what the client looks like, and records their initial interaction, the narrative slips into a third person account of the passenger’s experiences. This collection is organized by element, and each element is introduced with a poem that helps the reader understand the purpose of the section. “Water,” for example, focuses on the interconnectedness of all humans.

Each short story is, by itself, a powerful emotional journey. Topics such as death, suicide, and violence are explored liberally. I could see using these short stories in a secondary or post-secondary classroom to discuss characterization, foreshadowing, and theme. The introductory poem for the section, paired with one of the short stories, would make an interesting discussion of poetry and prose as well. In particular, I could see this being a useful anchor text in an AP classroom.

My only criticism would be the organization of the writing. In the introduction, the chance meeting of two high school sweethearts in the back of a rideshare seemed to establish characters. However, a few pages later, the first person narrator appeared. It was a little jarring to switch from third to first person perspective throughout the collection, especially when third person was established first.

Nobody lies to their Uber driver.
Intersections is a collection of stories told by an Uber driver about his passengers.

The moment I read the summery for this book I had such high expectations and it did not disappoint!

Reading this made me want to jump out of my chair and go talk to some strangers! It’s all about finding beauty in the mundane.

3.5/5 stars
This book has a very interesting premise, and the main theme is clear throughout. This is first shown to us in the prologue (“Every interaction with anyone is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”) and repeated a few times in other stories. I particularly enjoyed when it was shown to us through the voices of characters that were not the driver. For example, in the section titled The Svislach, the author writes, “It fascinated him to think about how the water could have multiple lives.” This was a fantastic was to allude to the theme of the book without saying it straight to the reader.

The author slipped into the mind of each character he wrote about, and portrayed each one well. The best representations of character and intersectionality were in the section titled Secrets. The personality of Tim Sr. is shown so well through small comments in his perspective (“back before…their kids hadn’t fallen off the deep end yet.”) A few pages later we get “Maybe…seeing hem all together would…bring him back from his obsession with the church and his reputation as its pastor.” That description is from Linda’s perspective, and it clearly shows Tim Sr. from an outside perspective in a way that solidifies the reader’s perception of Tim Sr. This section was also peppered with references to the Bible, which placed the reader into the lives of this family, where the undercurrent of religion is always there.

There were some times the author had great metaphors. As an example, the sentence “Three soldiers still firing bullets after the white flag had been raised.” This was in the first story of the book, titled The Jumper. This set the reader up with an expectation that there would be more hard-hitting metaphors throughout the book, btu unfortunately they were few and far between.

There were odd line breaks that didn’t seem like they meant anything, which was confusing. This happened frequently, and though I learned to ignore it, it was very confusing in the stories with POV shifts (The Jumper, Secrets, and Butterflies were places this really threw me off).

Though I thought the way the book was divided (Water, Earth, Fire), I don’t understand the reasoning for which stories were placed in each section. The Svislach was placed in Earth, when the vast majority of the story centered on water. In fact, The Jumper, Hijacked, and Breath were all placed under Water and none of these stories centered on water.

Though I enjoyed each of the stories, and found it very interesting to look into the lives of others, it felt like this book is more suited to spoken story-telling than reading on a page. I wouldn’t read this book again, but I would recommend it to a reader interested in exploring what it means to be a human, in an easy-to read format.

Intersections
Life-Changing Stories From my Rideshare Passengers
by Andrew Spink
Description
Nobody lies to their Uber driver. The anonymity functions like a truth serum, putting everyone’s raw and unfiltered selves on full display. But it is in those rideshare confessionals when human lives are intersecting without the usual pretense, that you discover the heights of human potential. And you hear some powerful stories. A woman stopping suicide on the other side of the world. A heart attack healing a fractured family. A husband celebrating with his wife, on his last night alive.

The intersection is a collection of nine short stories, all based on the true events and experiences of rideshare passengers. As you follow the characters through life-and-death journeys, they give you hope in humanity's potential and inspire you to remain present to the infinite possibilities for wonder all around us.

This is a very well-written book.I Loved the Nine short stories, Some make you feel almost too much. I have told stories to Uber drivers myself. This was a brilliant book, about what people do.

Nobody lies to their Uber Driver. That feeling of freedom of sharing our most important secrets with strangers is faithfully conveyed here.
I loved this. Nine excellent short stories that are engaging, all born from conversations with an Uber driver.
Brilliantly written you get totally invested in the characters in each story.
I found this yesterday afternoon when I was idly scrolling through Netgalley and I’m so glad I did.
Read over one evening these stories will stay with me long after I finished the book.

Intersections is a cleverly written collection of short stories, where an uber driver describes his most shocking/ interesting conversations he has had with his passengers. Its separated into chapters which focus on different people. I really enjoyed the butterflies and secrets, butterflies was about two strangers who had both been in a coma at the same time and experienced similar things whereas secrets was about a Christian father becoming ill after hearing about his children's path away from the religion. These two were incredibly interesting and thought provoking. I didn't really connect with the other short stories but for these two, I liked hearing about the characters and their situations, also the protagonists reactions to hearing them too was good!

A superb collection of short stories by Andrew Spink. Passenger's stories told to the driver of their rideshare journey were magic. Extremely well put together and a joy to read. Impossible to put down and well worth five stars.