Navigating the Garratyverse, or: How to Follow Jim Garraty’s Emotional Journey (Now That It’s a Thing)

Let’s start with a confession: I didn’t set out to create a literary universe. I didn’t even set out to coin a term. “Garratyverse” began as a tongue-in-cheek nickname—a playful way to refer to the two deeply personal stories I’d written about Jim Garraty, a character who’s equal parts emotionally constipated and quietly profound. It was shorthand. A joke. A way to avoid saying “the Reunion Duology” for the hundredth time.

And then something happened.

I wrote a third story.

And I Googled “The Garratyverse.”

🪐 The Birth of a Universe (Accidental, but Emotionally Valid)

Originally, the Garratyverse referred only to the Reunion Duology—two works that follow Jim Garraty from high school heartbreak to middle-aged reckoning. But when I added Comings and Goings – The Art of Being Seen, a standalone short story set in 1984 Boston, something shifted. Suddenly, Jim’s emotional journey had a new dimension. A new moment of connection. A new reason to call this more than just a duology.

Then I did what any self-respecting writer does when procrastinating: I searched “Garratyverse” on Google and Bing. And to my surprise, it was there. Mostly from my blog posts—but still out in the wild. Search engines recognized it. The Garratyverse had become a thing.

So now, with a mix of pride and mild embarrassment, I present this guide to navigating the Garratyverse. Because if I’m going to accidentally create a universe, I might as well help you find your way through it.

📚 What Is the Garratyverse?

The Garratyverse is a literary universe centered around Jim Garraty—a man whose emotional journey is less about dramatic revelations and more about quiet reckonings. It’s a world shaped by memory, music, and the spaces between what’s said and what’s felt. If you’re looking for sword fights or space battles, you’re in the wrong verse. But if you’re drawn to stories where a single letter can change everything, welcome home.

🎬 The Reunion Duology: Where It All Began

• Reunion: A Story – Set in 1983, this novella introduces Jim as a high school senior who’s brilliant with words on paper but hopeless at saying them aloud. It’s a story about missed chances and the ache of silence.
• Reunion: Coda – Fast-forward seventeen years. Jim is now a history professor, successful but emotionally adrift. This novel deepens the narrative, exploring how one choice can have a ripple effect across decades.

Together, these two works form the emotional spine of the Garratyverse. They’re spare, intimate, and occasionally frustrating (Jim, buddy, just say how you feel). But they’re also deeply human.

🧭 Reading the Garratyverse: Two Methods, One Emotional Journey

Method 1: Real-World Publication Order

1. Reunion: A Story – Written in 1998, published in 2018, revised in 2023.
2. Reunion: Coda – Written between 2023–2025, published April 2025.
3. Comings and Goings – The Art of Being Seen – Written and published June 2025.

This method reflects my own evolution as a writer. You’ll see the growth, the rewrites, the occasional overuse of ellipses. It’s like watching a director’s cut after the theatrical release—warts and all.

Method 2: In-Universe Chronological Order

1. Reunion: A Story – Jim in high school, 1983.
2. Comings and Goings – Jim in Boston, 1984, discovering the quiet power of being seen.
3. Reunion: Coda – Jim in 2000, reckoning with the past and learning how to stay present.

This approach is for the emotionally methodical reader—the one who wants to trace Jim’s growth (or emotional stumbles) in a linear fashion. It’s like watching Boyhood, but with more letters and fewer Linklater tracking shots.

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Method 3: The Emotional On-Ramp

Start with Comings and Goings – The Art of Being Seen
This method isn’t about chronology or publication—it’s about emotional accessibility. If the Reunion Duology is the spine of the Garratyverse, Comings and Goings is the breath between heartbeats. Set in 1984, it introduces Jim not at his most broken, but at the moment he begins to stir from grief. Marty is gone, and Jim never told her how he felt—but in Boston, he meets someone who sees him. Really sees him.

It’s a quiet story. No grand revelations, no sweeping resolutions. But it’s the first time Jim begins to understand that being seen might matter more than being understood. For readers new to the Garratyverse, this is a gentle immersion into its emotional terrain. You’ll meet Jim as a man haunted by silence, but open to connection. Then, if you choose, you can move backward to Reunion: A Story to witness the heartbreak that shaped him, and forward to Reunion: Coda to see how he finally begins to heal.

Think of it as entering a symphony through its most tender movement—then exploring the themes that led to it and the ones that follow.

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🧭 Which Method Is Right for You?

• The Historian
  You crave structure, timelines, and emotional progression. You want to trace Jim’s journey from high school heartbreak to middle-aged reckoning in order.
  → Try Method 2: In-Universe Chronological Order
• The Archivist
  You’re curious about how the stories evolved over time—warts, rewrites, and all. You want to experience the Garratyverse as it unfolded in real life.
  → Try Method 1: Real-World Publication Order
• The Empath
  You read with your heart first. You want to meet Jim in a moment of quiet vulnerability and build your connection from there.
  → Try Method 3: The Emotional On-Ramp

🎵 Music, Memory, and the Emotional Mixtape

Music is the emotional undercurrent of the Garratyverse. From Billy Joel to jazz standards, songs act as emotional bookmarks in Jim’s life. They’re not just background—they’re the score to his internal monologue. And yes, I’ve spent entire paragraphs describing how “Moonglow” feels like a conversation Jim never had.

🪞 Why Jim Garraty?

Jim isn’t a hero. He’s not even particularly brave. But he’s real. He’s the guy who remembers the exact shade of light in a high school hallway but forgets to say “I love you” when it matters. He’s shaped by silence, by missed chances, by the quiet hope that maybe—just maybe—he’ll get it right next time.

And maybe that’s why readers connect with him. Because we’ve all been Jim, at least once.

📝 Final Thoughts (and Mild Self-Deprecation)

So yes, the Garratyverse started as a joke. But it became something more—a space where memory, music, and emotional truth converge. It’s not flashy. It’s not loud. But it lingers.

And if you find yourself crying over a fictional history professor who can’t quite say what he means—well, welcome. You’re in the right verse.