Old Tricks, New Treats (Bag of Tricks, book 3)
$15.00
Ruby Dee Philippa’s Old Tricks, New Treats, is book three in the Bag of Tricks trilogy, and revisits the anarchic, intoxicating world of early-1980s San Francisco through a sharp lens of memory and survival. The collection’s first story, “New Little Friend,” stands as an exceptional example of Philippa’s ability to merge vivid realism with emotional depth. Through Babs, a young punk navigating drugs, danger, and fleeting independence, Philippa creates a protagonist who is both flawed and deeply compelling. The prose is rich in sensory detail. From the “green atop green” of Mill Valley’s hills to the claustrophobic grit of city alleyways, the author contrasts natural beauty with urban decay. This duality mirrors Babs’s own struggle between control and chaos. Philippa’s descriptive prowess extends to the smallest gestures: Babs fumbling a padlock, or the metallic click of a revolver. These are moments that humanize her even in the midst of lawlessness. What sets Old Tricks, New Treats apart is Philippa’s empathy. While she documents the punk world’s dark realities such as drug abuse, violence, and homelessness, she refuses to reduce her characters to cautionary tales. Instead, she frames their rebellion as a form of self-preservation. The gun lesson scene, where Vietnam … Continue reading Old Tricks, New Treats (Bag of Tricks, book 3)
