Moore, Lorrie. Birds of America. New York: Alfred A Knopf, 1999.
Reason read: June is national short story month
The two short stories I read are “Four Calling Birds, Three French Hens” (p 111) and the incredibly sad “People Like That Are the Only People Here: Canonical Babbling in Peed Onk” (p 212).
“Four Calling Birds…” –
Aileen mourns the death of her cat, Bert. She has him cremated and sees a therapist to get over his passing. It just goes to show you how much like a family member a pet can be. The very last scene is the best part.
“People Like That…” –
Despite the fact everyone in this story is nameless, this one is even sadder than “Four Calling Birds”. “Peed Onk” is actually “pediatric oncology.” Parents of a baby boy are faced with his cancer diagnosis. A child having such a serious illness seems unfathomable.
Lines that got me, “When a baby gets cancer, it seems stupid to ever have given up smoking” (p 225) and “The synapses between minutes are unswimmable” (p 235).
Author fact: Where do I begin with Ms. Lorrie? So many things to say about this woman. Here are my favorite facts: She is from an area I used to frequent often, Glens Falls, NY and she goes by her middle name.
BookLust Twist: from More Book Lust in the chapter called “Good Things Come in Small Packages” (p 102).
~*LunaSea*~ 