A few months ago I won the book/ short story collection, Anticipated Results by Dennis E. Bolen from John at The Book Mine Set.  He hosts the Canadian Book Challenge and had a mini challenge that I won.

Paul tells her how to get the main course started  on her own.  Things start to go wrong from the start.  Her friends start arriving before Paul shows up to finish cooking the meal.  Then she is told that Nick will be late and the conversation is awkward without him.

I really liked this story of quirky and damaged people.  It was different then just about anything I’ve read and I mean that in a good way.  I am looking forward to reading more of the stories in the book.

Short Story Monday is hosted by John at The Book Mine Set.

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A fourteen year old girl is the un-named narrator of the story.  She is good friends with  Ammini, the  “old woman” across the street from her grandmother’s house.  They use to play house and other games as well as cook together but this year Ammini is tired most of the time.  Her husband, who the narrator calls “Dragon” for his meanness, keeps asking the girl to leave saying that Ammini is tired and needs her rest.

“Married at nine, she came to the dragon’s house in the village with festive pomp and fanfare. She chattered and laughed with abandon, played pranks on her doting father-in-law. They played hide and seek in the garden, the old man gasping for breath as he ran. “In a year’s time, the old man died. With the father-in-law gone, the elders in the house unleashed their pent-up anger. They snatched her toys; they took away all privileges. They drummed wifely sense through a routine of penance. No more sweets.  A Hindu wife learns to shed attachments from her past. She learns to please, prepares to be a mother.”

The writing of this story is beautiful and so descriptive and the characters are well drawn out.  I started to care for them in a very short time.  I really didn’t want this story to end.  Highly recommended!  I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the stories.

Short Story Monday is hosted by John at The Book Mine Set.

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I learned of this short story over at Read Handed last year and finally read it.  I have never read anything by Raymond Carver before this.

“This girl and boy were furnishing a little apartment.”

Later the boy gives the man a check to cash and the boy and girl take their new stuff to their apartment.  After, the girl wonders what the man’s story was, why was he getting rid of all his stuff?

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