I’ve little experience of stories with a supernatural dimension but there was a lot to enjoy here. The developing tension, the recurring use of the motifs introduced in the opening sentence to help achieve that tension. The growing anxiety of the mother, shown against the measured attitudes of the husband and the doctor, allows space for the reader to speculate about what is amiss. It’s a sad story and one with only partial resolution, a strength in a story of this length where there needs to be a measure of uncertainty to give the story depth. Thanks for sharing and for inviting engagement with it. I’m expecting other readers will have different takes. Be good to hear what those are…
Thanks, Terry. Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for sharing your thoughts. You've touched on a few points that I'm going to dive into when I put up the next post inviting people to post their views.
Do you have any favourite short story writers? Always looking for recommendations!
Hi Paul, favourite short story writers - Alice Munro, great narrative always intriguing; Grace Paley, engaging voice, terrific style; George Saunders, contemporary and original; Donald Barthelme, leftfield, offbeat, challenging. And that’s before we talk about the giants, Joyce, Hemingway etc.
Thanks for the story, Paul. The story, in a way, reminded me of "The Yellow Wallpaper," as the husband/doctor don't believe the wife.
Thanks, Dinesh. I'll post my thoughts on the tale and you can join in the full discussion.
You might enjoy our thoughts on the Yellow Wallpaper if you haven't check it out already: https://open.substack.com/pub/shortstoryclub/p/thoughts-on-the-yellow-wallpaper?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=1ujbmu
I’ve little experience of stories with a supernatural dimension but there was a lot to enjoy here. The developing tension, the recurring use of the motifs introduced in the opening sentence to help achieve that tension. The growing anxiety of the mother, shown against the measured attitudes of the husband and the doctor, allows space for the reader to speculate about what is amiss. It’s a sad story and one with only partial resolution, a strength in a story of this length where there needs to be a measure of uncertainty to give the story depth. Thanks for sharing and for inviting engagement with it. I’m expecting other readers will have different takes. Be good to hear what those are…
Thanks, Terry. Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for sharing your thoughts. You've touched on a few points that I'm going to dive into when I put up the next post inviting people to post their views.
Do you have any favourite short story writers? Always looking for recommendations!
Hi Paul, favourite short story writers - Alice Munro, great narrative always intriguing; Grace Paley, engaging voice, terrific style; George Saunders, contemporary and original; Donald Barthelme, leftfield, offbeat, challenging. And that’s before we talk about the giants, Joyce, Hemingway etc.
Some big names there, my friend! I haven't read any Barthelme, yet, so will have to fix that.