#538 Referential- Lorrie Moore
There is a strong bond between a single mother and her only
son. The son has mental problems and has been institutionalized for four years.
He has been suicidal. His mother has understandably changed her whole life
around her son’s condition. Caught in the web of this misfortune is Pete, the
mother’s boyfriend.
“At one point he had been poised to live with her, but her
child’s deepening troubles had caused him to pull back—he believed he loved her
but could not find the large space he needed for himself in her life.”
This isn’t Pete’s son, and as much as he wants to do the
right thing, it’s hard for him. He has been struggling with his own life. And
now it seems that the son’s situation has gotten worse.
“Once her son had only wanted a distracting pain, but then
soon he had wanted to tear a whole in himself and flee through it.”
When Pete and the mother go to visit, it is uncomfortable
and awkward. The mother wants to bring his back home. When she gets anonymous
calls the truth of her future with Pete becomes obvious. Sometimes even when
people are calling for help, you can’t hear them
“How could people be mentally well in such a world?”
Notable Passage: “Mutilation was a language. And vice
versa.”
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