#630 Lost in the City- Edward P. Jones

#630 Lost in the City- Edward P. Jones

Lydia got a call late at night while a strange man lies in her bed. It was the home where her mother lived; she had just died. The onrush of emotions and memory hits her hard and she tries to gather herself up to go to her mother. She takes stock of her life and sets out.

While in the taxi, she is overwhelmed with memories. Each street, each part of town sparks another memory. She asks the cab to drive until they are lost in the city, somewhere with no connections or memories.

Rating: 8-7-8-7 Total= 30

#567 An Orange Line Train to Ballston- Edward P. Jones

#567 An Orange Line Train to Ballston- Edward P. Jones

Marvella is a single mother of three. Each morning during rush hour she has to take her children on the subway, the Orange Line to Ballston. Jones does a pretty great job of conveying the stress it must feel like as Mother trying to take care and keep and eye on three kids in a crowded train.

They meet a man riding alone with long dreadlocks. Being curious, the children began asking questions about his hair, why he doesn’t cut it, it looks like the hair of a guy we saw in a horror movie, etc. Marvella is mortified but the man is genial and answers all their questions. 

They see him again the next day, and become even friendlier. As the weeks pass, they ride the same train often, Marvella likes this man, likes how he treats her children, wishes he would talk more to her, and looks forward to their brief encounters. But, anyone who has ever ridden subways knows, many such encounters, go as quickly as they come. 

Very charming story.

Rating: 8-7-8-8 Total= 31

#323 Double Espresso- Sin Soracco

#323 Double Espresso- Sin Soracco

I got this story from San Francisco Noir, one of a series of City Noir collections.  The series uses local writers to “…help expose the psycho-geography of a city. Hidden and repressed memories are a focal point…”

Here Gina is a homeless woman sleeping in a park built above a filled-in waterway. Water is a big theme here, and rivers dried-up, or controlled by civilization. Gina takes a trip just outside the city to visit a friend. She learns that the world is crazy when you don’t know the lay of the land.

“She discovered a fondness for the city buried somewhere deep in her chest, most noticeably when she was leaving.”

Notable Passage: “Civilization treats pain with lectures.”

Rating: 7-6-7-6 Total= 26

#225 Sisters of the Golden Circle- O. Henry

#225 Sisters of the Golden Circle- O. Henry

We are aboard a Glaring-at-Gotham tour car. There is a Newlywed couple in the back. We have a case of mistaken identity and a fun vintage O. Henry twist. I’m not sure which adage fits more aptly here: Behind every man is a good woman-woman are crazy- you never know what you’re going to see in New York, etc. Take your pick.

As usual, the writing here is fun and theatrical. I particularly liked this gem about NYC people watching:

“The sidewalk was blockaded by sightseers who had gathered to stare at sightseers, justifying the natural law that every creature on earth is preyed upon by some other creature.”

Notable Passage: “The scent of flowers, the booty of the bee, the primal dip of spring waters, the overture of the lark, the twist of lemon peel on the cocktail of creation—such is the bride. Holy is the wife; revered the mother; galliptious is the summer girl—but the bride is the certifies cheque among the wedding presents that the gods send in when man is married to mortality.”

Rating: 8-7-8-7 Total= 30