Saturday, November 21, 2020

North Of


North Of is a short story by Marie-Helene Bertino. You can read it online here. It begins,
There are American flags on school windows, on cars, on porch swings; it is the year I bring Bob Dylan home for Thanksgiving.

We park in front of my mom’s house, my mom who has been waiting for us at the door, probably since dawn. Her hello carries over the lawn. Bob Dylan opens the car door, stretches one leg and then the other. He wears a black leather coat, and has spent the entire ride from New York trying to remember the name of a guitarist he played with in Memphis. I pull our bags from the trunk.

“You always pack too much,” I say.

He shrugs. His arms are small in his coat. His legs are small in his jeans.

“Hello hello,” my mother says as we amble toward her.

“This is Bob,” I say.

...

14 comments:

  1. ...and I'm happy to live in the north!

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    1. Mid-South is what they call Memphis. I like having 4 distinct seasons.

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  2. An add stream of consciousness read and depressing.

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  3. Interesting story. I expected something different, but good story is suppose to do that, right?

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    1. Sometimes I like that and sometimes it annoys me lol, but I thought this one did it well

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  4. Sounds like a good story, I will read it this afternoon. Have a great day, Valerie

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  5. I didn't enjoy this at all. It doesn't fit how I like to think of Bob Dylan, busted lip and all.

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    1. I got a kick out of this different representation. Definitely different!

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  6. the story is intriguing. I don't think I would read it though. Thank you for sharing it.

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    1. These short stories are _so_ short I tend to just dive in.

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  7. Short stories are a great to read, love them! Hugs, Jo x

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