The Patron Saints of Grocery: A Novel

When the novelty and initial shock of the pandemic have worn off, what's left for the forgotten "heroes" working the front lines of our essential stores? Understaffed and underpaid, the crew at Dream Grocers simply survive day by day, and Daniel starts to feel the numbness stemming from an underappreciated life. Working hard and climbing the ranks feel meaningless without any recognition, and the slow grind of retail life begins to take its toll.

The Patron Saints of Grocery picks up after the events of Life on the Grocery Line, and checks back in on Daniel while he navigates a year in the life of a grocery-store employee amid the confusion of COVID-19. New pressures from climbing the corporate ladder, protocols and regulations from the government, and the increasingly restless public will all impose their wills on his dreams. Will he finally get the push he needs to prioritize a secret alternative life moonlighting as a panda for social media, or will he just fade away into the retail abyss?