This classic crime thriller from Agatha Christie is better known for its screen and theater adaptions than the short story upon which they are based. There is no Hercule Poirot type detective here. The man charged with finding evidence to free a prisoner he is convinced was wrongly arrested for murder is a dogged solicitor. Things look grim when the man’s wife agrees to testify against him. Fortunately, a letter delivered the day before the trial leads to critical evidence that frees the man. Strangely, the solicitor is unlikely to be happy with the outcome. Themes: justice, deception, betrayal, perception. More…
Gimpel the Fool
If you take the story at face value (which is often dangerous with a first person narration), Isaac Singer’s Gimpel is no fool. He understands and rationalizes all that has happened in his life, claiming to have been misjudged due to being too trusting and accommodating towards others. Sadly, although not considering himself a fool, he feels compelled to accept the title. The real fools are shown to be those who took advantage of Gimpel, especially his debauched wife who suffers the consequences in the afterlife. Themes: faith, kindness and integrity, forgiveness, strength and wisdom, acceptance. More…
The Faithful Wife
In this story by Morley Callaghan, a young man working in a railway café is completing his last shift before leaving town to attend college. Shortly before finishing up, he receives a phone call from a customer he has admired but never spoken to asking him to come to her home. When he gets there, she encourages him to sit down, kiss and “make out” for a short time. The woman is married, and this is her way of fulfilling an important desire without being unfaithful to her husband. Themes include the need for passionate human contact, manipulation. More…
The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse
This story by William Saroyan describes a nine-year-old boy’s short encounters with a beautiful white horse ‘borrowed’ without permission by an older cousin. The boy’s family is part of an impoverished Armenian farming community living in the United States after being displaced from their homeland. The tribe to which the family belongs is renowned for the honesty and integrity of its members and, as might be expected, these are central themes of the story. Other themes include the refugee experience, temptation in the face of poverty, family values (reputation) vs. desire, rationalizing inappropriate behaviour, compassion, conscience. More…
My Jockey
Today we have what is probably the best-known (and shortest!) story of Lucia Berlin. Although not much more than a snippet, it is a wonderful example of the descriptive and emotive power of her writing. Set in a hospital, the protagonist is an emergency room nurse who finds “connection” in the broken bodies and needs of the real men who come into her care. Her favorites (the most broken) are the jockeys, and her favorite among these is Muñoz whose pain results in her comforting and cradling him like a baby. Themes: loneliness, human connection, empathy, motherhood. More…