The Plan of Chicago

FINALIST, Foreword INDIES Book of the Year (2025)SHORTLISTED, William Saroyan International Prize for Writing (2025)WINNER, Fiction: Short Story Collection, Storytrade Book Awards (2026)FINALIST, Short Story Fiction, American Fiction Awards (2026)FINALIST, Short Stories, National Indie Excellence Awards (NIEA) (2026)An Irish painting contractor in a changing neighborhood struggles with the complications of befriending a Black worker. The edgy enclave he fled haunts a South Side exile, upending his life. A boy who helps his father fake accidents for insurance claims reaches a turning point. A woman from a rough patch of South Shore remembers her first girlfriend. And a Census taker learns empathy as she counts people. Their lives weave through colorful, gritty streets in The Plan of Chicago, Barry Pearce's absorbing debut of heartbreaking division, unexpected intersections, and dim but possible dreams.