The Widow’s Walk

The Widow's Walk: Short story by Jack FinneyIn this entertaining story by Jack Finney, a woman plots the murder of her mother-who lives with them. She not only resents the loss of personal freedom, but also believes the old woman goes out of her way to annoy her. Having decided that an “accidental” fall is the best solution, she convinces her husband to build a small balcony off the second floor of their house. Although the balcony serves its purpose, it also lives up to its colloquial name. Themes include domestic tension, obsession, escape, manipulation, crime, unintended consequences.

Continue ReadingThe Widow’s Walk

Such Interesting Neighbors

Such Interesting Neighbors: Short story by Jack FinneyIn this story by Jack Finney, a man notices some unusual things about his new neighbors. Individually these mean little until the husband relates a science-fiction story he claims to have written. The story envisages a dystopian future where most people struggle to make a living and face the virtual certainty of death and destruction through war. The result is mass emigration to the past thanks to television’s modern replacement… personal time machines. Could the story be true, and the young couple two of these time-traveling refugees? Themes include societal collapse, nostalgia, escapism, integration, time-travel.

Continue ReadingSuch Interesting Neighbors

The Third Level

The Third Level: Short story by Jack FinneyIn this story by Jack Finney, a harried office worker finds himself back in 1894 after discovering a “third level” of New York’s Grand Central Station that isn’t supposed to exist. He wants to buy two tickets to his hometown so that he and his wife can travel back in time and live a less pressured life. However, he doesn’t have old currency and by the time he returns with some, the level has disappeared. Ironically, a once skeptical friend succeeds in making the journey. Themes include nostalgia, the pressure of modern life, escapism, time-travel.

Continue ReadingThe Third Level

Contents of the Dead Man’s Pockets

Contents of the Dead Man's Pockets: Short story by Jack FinneyThis exceedingly suspenseful story by Jack Finney is a tale of drive, ambition and the pursuit of quick success taken too far. It also raises an interesting question: At what point does a material object become worth risking your life for? A man climbs out of a window onto the ledge outside his eleventh floor apartment to retrieve a piece of paper. Ironically, what is on the paper is “incomprehensible” to anyone but him, and could readily be replaced with two months of repeated research. Themes: misplaced priorities, risks vs. consequences, determination, fear, desperation, enlightenment.

Continue ReadingContents of the Dead Man’s Pockets