#209 San Francisco- Amy Hempel
Of all the authors I’ve read for this blog, and all the
sizes, shapes, and forms of short stories highlighted here, Amy Hempel is the
absolute best at the short vignette. Some of her stories, like this piece here
is a quick two-page single stroke work of art. It can be read, and tossed off
like it never happened, but there is meaning and emotion floating there, like a
mint leaf in a cup of tea, subtle and lasting. Read, breath, close your eyes,
and let it sink in.
The premise is simple, as San Francisco trembles, a mother
dies, daughters squabble over her heirloom watch. But deeper underneath is what
happens in those lives to get there, the implications of the watch,
entitlements, recognition and true loss.
This won’t be on anybody’s list for greatest short stories
because of what it is; a lingering, delicate thought. I read a Hempel story and
it truly does linger with me all day. That is a rare talent. This is like the
haiku of the short story world.
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