the work of hands
October 21, 2024 8:46 AM Subscribe
Two short stories about yearning, beauty, and craft. "What Tempts Our Wives" by Sarah Horner (published this year): "My wife no longer washes her hands when she comes in from the garden." "Free Art" by Meg Elison (published this year): "Breathing deeply and moving past my annoyance, I opened up the Little Free Art Gallery. Inside, there was only one piece aside from the old ugly ashtray. In that same marble again, there he stood. David." (Meg Elison, previously.)
The Elison story obliquely reminded me of "Wooden Feathers" by Ursula Vernon.
Iteki, I'm so glad! Yeah, it's a wrenching story, with so many scary lines like "we do it because we must. The other option is admitting" ... such a well-made dark mirror for a particular slice of human experience.
posted by brainwane at 10:22 AM on October 21 [2 favorites]
Iteki, I'm so glad! Yeah, it's a wrenching story, with so many scary lines like "we do it because we must. The other option is admitting" ... such a well-made dark mirror for a particular slice of human experience.
posted by brainwane at 10:22 AM on October 21 [2 favorites]
brainwane, I don't always get to read the stories you link to, but I appreciate your making these posts.
posted by doctornemo at 10:23 AM on October 21 [2 favorites]
posted by doctornemo at 10:23 AM on October 21 [2 favorites]
Okay, I have only read "Free Art" so far, but WOW.
Such a beautiful story, as a whole, as an entire thing with heft and solidness.
And then such beautiful craft - the characters so alive and complex in just a few strokes, the unfolding of the events, the details of the world and the pulsing of her thoughts, her feelings.
The paragraph that starts with "Nike was painted in a bright blue gown" is just marvellous.
I love this.
Thank you so much, brainwane.
posted by kristi at 4:11 PM on November 11 [1 favorite]
Such a beautiful story, as a whole, as an entire thing with heft and solidness.
And then such beautiful craft - the characters so alive and complex in just a few strokes, the unfolding of the events, the details of the world and the pulsing of her thoughts, her feelings.
The paragraph that starts with "Nike was painted in a bright blue gown" is just marvellous.
I love this.
Thank you so much, brainwane.
posted by kristi at 4:11 PM on November 11 [1 favorite]
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posted by Iteki at 9:40 AM on October 21 [2 favorites]