''Time Sharing'' is a 1986 novel by the American author Richard Krawiec, published by

Viking Press Viking Press (formally Viking Penguin, also listed as Viking Books) is an American publishing company owned by Penguin Random House. It was founded in New York City on March 1, 1925, by Harold K. Guinzburg and George S. Oppenheimer and then acqu ...

. Taking place in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, its main characters are Artie, a purse-snatcher, and Jolene, a single mother. Artie hopes that by pretending to befriend Jolene he can profit from her. Jolene tries to see good in Artie and hopes he can act as a father for her son, Dandy. In time, Artie genuinely cares for Jolene. The novel ends moments after Artie accidentally shoots a cashier in a holdup. As he waits to be apprehended, Artie feels no remorse for shooting the cashier, but he grieves over the impending loss of his relationship with Jolene.

Background and publication

The novel was published on February 1, 1986, by

Reception

The novel was praised by ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'', particularly Krawiec's portrayal of Artie and Jolene. It received a mixed review from ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

'', which described the novel as "caught somewhere between belly-laughing satire and a more humanitarian concern", although Krawiec was praised as a talented author. ''Time Sharing'' is a tragicomic.

References

1986 American novels Novels set in Philadelphia {{1980s-novel-stub