In 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.
The story highlights the danger of taking a narrative written in the first person literally. We have only Annie’s word for her mother-in-law’s actions. Her husband doesn’t appear to sense any problems, and it could well be that the things that annoy Annie are not deliberate, but rather the normal behavior of an elderly woman who has suffered a heart attack.