Back in the World is a collection of 10 short stories by Tobias Wolff. The titular phrase turns up in one of the stories, "Soldier's Joy", which includes a reference to a veteran considering his luck to be alive after the cruel years of the Vietnam War. The story takes a darker twist when the soldier is confronted with the realities of normality and is unable to cope with them, sinking deeper and deeper into a well of confusion and depression.
Another story in the collection, "Say yes" transports the readers into the domestic troubles of a couple whose communication abilities have long decayed. The story revolves around questions unasked and unanswered, the simple ability to read your partners feelings and react to them accordingly. The husband in the story reveals that he is never able to really understand his wife and that he often talks out of turn, hurting her feelings.
A third story, "Our story begins" brings in Charlie, a young writer who is down on his luck and has to earn money driving buses. He is close to giving up when a conversation of strangers stirs in him new vigor to go on and follow his dream. The main character never interacts with the strangers but only listens and has an internal monologue about his life.
These three examples show that Back in the World by Tobias Wolff has similar qualities than his other writing. He uses his writing ability to make mundane situations, like in "Our story begins" seem important and involve the reader with the individual characters. One is compelled to feel the emotions of the protagonists, which are mostly born out of some sort of conflict.
