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Monday, March 26, 2012

Reviews of 3 short stories by Betsy Miller

I met Betsy Miller on another blog.  She is mainly known for her non-fiction books including The Parents' Guide to Clubfoot and The Parents' Guide to Hip Dysplasia.  I was thankful for her trusting me enough to review 3 of her short stories.  They are:


NEGATIVE SPACE





As her husband lies in bed Michelle draws his body, or lack thereof, leaving negative spaces where his body lie.  These same spaces are an example of how she feels as she goes to the doctor after miscarrying her first baby.  Emptiness seems to surround her and she deals with the loss of her child, THAT child, as the doctor tells her that she is ok and can try again.
A beautiful story of loss told in sad metaphors.


EQUILIBRIUM





Emily wants to feel happiness again.  As she takes a break from the refuge of her small apartment, she walks into a new diner, Jim’s House of Soups.  Being the only customer, she receives personal service from Jim himself.  Heexplains the unique menu items, particularly the Made to Order soup.  The two of them together build the perfect soup, which he prepares for her personally. Throughout the entire process, there is a pleasant tension between them.

As he brings out her soup, other customers eye the special soup and request the exact same thing. 

Do Emily’s choices have any power or weight?  Will she get what she wants?


AND
HALF AND HALF





Should Danielle run from Roy or join in his evening plans? 

Roy sloppily eats his meal and downs his beer while explaining his evening plans to Danielle, going to a cock fight.  He chauvinistically educates her in the definitionof a half and half, feeling that he is winning her over.  Danielle might have other ideas.


All of Betsy's short stories can be found at www.untreedreads.com, Amazon and Barnes and Noble

2 comments:

  1. These sound like some powerful stories - especially that first one.

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    Replies
    1. They are all very different. The first one is beautifully written but they are all good in their unique ways :)

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