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  • Short Story Review: “My Wonderful Description of Flowers” by Danielle Dutton

    (The short story “My Wonderful Description of Flowers” by Danielle Dutton appeared in the December 5th, 2022 issue of The New Yorker.)

    (I can’t help it; I spoil this story…)

    Photograph by Ioulex for The New Yorker

    I have been getting into short short stories, and flash fiction. What I am enjoying about these smaller works is that is that I feel like most of the writers are playing with the short story form, and experimenting with what can work when it comes to narrative. Maybe this is a reflection of the digital age, and texting – use as few words as possible and get to the point.

    “My Wonderful Description of Flowers” by Danielle Dutton is not a flash fiction piece, but for The New Yorker, it is a shorter short story at just three pages. There is no plot to this story, and I think that was purposeful. The story functions like a dream, and in the first paragraph, the narrator tells us that her husband had a dream, though he very rarely dreams. And with that framing, the story is on its way. There are a few narrative threads, or lines that weave in and out of the story; the husband not returning a text message, their child playing a video game that doesn’t seem to be like any type of normal game, a lecture and reception, a stranger who had corresponded with the narrator, and then a train ride that leads to the end of the line.

    The prose is lovely, light, and ethereal in the sense that it flows back and forth from narrative threads, which could only work together in a dream. What keeps the narrative moving forward is the growing frustration with the messages not being returned, and the train literally running toward the end of the line. These two threads do function as the device that creates the rising action, so the story has the feeling of a plot, or at least that a climax is coming. Dutton has created this frame for the story to live in, and then she goes on to fill spaces with movements, gestures, actions and observations. It’s a wonderful experiment in testing what a narrative can be, and be used to hold a story together. And like a good guest, the story knows not to overstay its welcome, and gives an ending that isn’t climatic, but is satisfying as it fits within the atmosphere of this dream-like world.

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  • World Cup Dispatch (UPDATE): USA v Iran

    A day like today is what makes the World Cup fun; Must win matches to get to the next round. Lots o’ drama.

    Unless you’re living under a rock with no wi-fi, then you know the big match of today is USA v Iran. The Americans need a win to advance, and Iran needs a win or a draw to move on to the next round. Then there is the animosity between our two countries which only heightens the emotions leading to this face off. I really don’t think there is much more insight I can offer, that hasn’t already been shared over the past few days.

    For me, I’m approaching this like a fan – I just want my team to win. And that desire creates in me an enjoyable competitive knot in my stomach. I felt this before when the Cubs went down in flames in 2003, or watching the Rangers lose the greatest game ever against the Cardinals in the World Series. But I also felt like this when the Mavericks won it all in 2011. And my insides were so squished together during the rain delay for Game 7 of the 2016 World Series, that I thought I might throw up. But I didn’t because the Cubs came out of the locker room to rally and break the curse.

    So, I know that feeling nervous just means that I care about my team, and I want them to win, and it sucks waiting for the match. And it will suck watching the match. And it will suck even more if the outcome isn’t the one I so desperately want.

    Boy! This is fun!

    UPDATE: The first half went a lot better than I thought it would. Iran looked like they had been knocked back on their heels, and didn’t have an answer to the American attacks. USMNT looks hungry out there, and they aren’t playing wild, just aggressive.

    Now, not for a second do I believe that Iran is out of this match. They seem to play better in the second half, and forty-five minutes is a long time. I expect them to put the pressure on by try to out run USA.

    I’m nervous but still having fun.

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  • World Cup Dispatch: Portugal v Uruguay

    Clearly, I have no idea what I’m talking about. I thought Uruguay could pull it out, but I was wrong.

    Portugal, Brazil, and France look like the three teams that came to win. And at the same time, I think we all expected that this would be the outcome. Some things I guess do stay the same.

  • World Cup Dispatch: Catching Up, and Today

    So… I caught a cold this weekend. In fact, my wife caught it, too. We were done in by our daughter, who had a cold last week, got over it, and we thought we had dodged the bullet. We didn’t. It’s not awful, but it is a cold, which meant I did watch matches over the weekend, but just didn’t have the energy to write about it.

    My quick takes from the weekend:

    1. Feel bad for Mexico, but I had a feeling the Messi was going to show up, and he did. Things look good for Argentina, and rather dark for Mexico.
    2. I thought Japan would win, but Costa Rica’s Cup dreams are still alive.
    3. Germany is also not dead yet, but this could be the second Cup they don’t make it out of the Group stage.
    4. And the Big One; Belgium losing to Morocco. First of all, credit to Morocco for winning this against the number one team in the world. Second, maybe Belgium isn’t the powerhouse that everyone thinks they are; They did just barely beat Canada. Outside of France and Spain, none of the conventional “big” teams are playing very well. Not sure why that is, but it is making the tournament rather exciting.

    As for today, a little surprised that South Korea lost this morning. That might push them out of advancing, but I think there is a slim chance – a very slim chance. Brazil and Switzerland could be exciting with Neymar out, which could make Brazil human for the next two matches. Then there is Portugal and Uruguay. I can see this one getting chippy, and aggressive. I can’t explain it, but I think Uruguay will pull this one out.

    Let’s see how this goes.

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  • World Cup Dispatch (Update): USA v England

    So, we are through the first half of the match, and it’s going as well as I could have expected. England did start out leading this match, and Harry Kane did have an early opportunity. But as the match has gone on, USA has started playing more confidently. They sure started working on England’s right side, and several times USA had some explosive runs down the pitch. That’s not to say that England was being out played. The last two minutes of the first half, Sterling had a solid chance for a goal, and even got a corner kick to end the half.

    Also, it has been a rather clean match. Sure, a little pushing and shoving, but no hard tackles. I expected USA to play a little cautious, as they did get several yellow cards against Wales. England… well… they always play rather polite.

    In the second half, I see the US playing the same, testing England’s backline, and keeping the pressure on. England, I see them playing harder, and working the ball forward to Kane, Saka and Sterling.

    Here we go!

    UPDATE: A draw against England is pretty damn good. USA gets to live another day, but now means that they have to beat Iran on Tuesday. Team USA looked good out there. They challenged England on the ball, and pushed hard, but just couldn’t get it across the line. England, on the other hand, didn’t look that great out there. Their defense was good, and they held the ball, but there wasn’t a whole lot of pressure in the American box.

    So… Tuesday is going to be a big day. Winners get to go to the Knockout Round.

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