#605 The Marriage of the Red Fish- Guadalupe Nettel

#605 The Marriage of the Red Fish- Guadalupe Nettel

Guadalupe Nettal’s collection Natural Histories came to me highly recommended. With influence from Mexico, Paris and Montreal I expect a pretty broad spectrum of input in these stories. The opening piece is The Marriage of the Red Fish. A couple living in Paris is about to have their first child. They live modestly and have a pair of Red fish to keep them company.

The wife, having left her job for maternity leave, has time for contemplation and notices a lot about these fish living in the same bowl. She gets books to learn more an realizes that they are an aggressive species and need more space. As she is more conscious of the fish, they seem to reflect the emotional ups and downs her and her husband are experiencing.

“You tend to learn a lot from the animals you live with, even fish. They are like mirrors that reflect the buried emotions and behaviors we don’t dare see.”

In the aquatic equivalent of her husband sleeping on the couch, she puts one of the fish in a second tank. The human couple also separates briefly causing even more emotional turmoil. In the end neither the fish, nor the couple survive living together. 

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

#445 Eating Fish Alone- Lydia Davis

#445 Eating Fish Alone- Lydia Davis

A woman eats fish, but not that often and only when she eats alone. She has a list of fish that is acceptable to consume socially, healthily, and environmentally. She puts a lot of thought into the fish she eats, and is very delicate in the manner in which she goes about her meals.

Usually, when she eats out the wait staff and the kitchen staff is too busy to give full answers to her questions about the fish. She does her best to manage anyway. One particular night, a restaurant was serving marlin. She didn’t remember how marlin tasted, and although it wasn’t on her list, she decided to try to anyway. The waitress asked on behalf of the chef if she enjoyed her meal. Even though she thought it a bit chewy she gave a pleasant if vague reply.

“I thought of the waste, and the care with which the chef prepared, over and over again, the vegetables that no one ate. At least I had eaten his vegetables, and he would know that I had liked them. But I was sorry I had not eaten all of his marlin. I could have done that.”

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