#440 Debarking- Lorrie Moore
Ira was divorced and was having a hard time coping with his
new reality. He claimed his wedding ring was stuck on his finger and he
couldn’t get it off. He had an eight-year old daughter and a host of good
friends.
He started dating a woman, also divorced with a son, that he
met at a friend’s party. It was an awkward start, being so unpracticed at
dating:
“This elusive mix—the geometric halfway point between
stalker and Rip van Winkle—was important to get right in the world of
middle-aged dating.”
As the reader, I was rooting for him, feeling bad at the
uncomfortable moments, nodding at the I’ve-been-there moments. But after a
while, I got the feeling that this woman was either taking advantage of him,
unable to have a relationship post-divorce, or she was a little bit crazy.
Either way, the whole second half of the story—which ran on for a bit too
long—was filled with this tense frustration where you just wished it (the
frustration, not the story) would end.
Quality writing.
Notable Passage: “When affection fell on its ass, politeness
could step up.”
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