Temporary Shelter: Short Stories

Temporary shelter is the fate of a boy whose mother is a live-in housekeeper. Clearly, shelter as protection and temporary states exist at opposite points of the line of life. Henry Cosgrove and Louisa Altiere are friends. Henry's son Eliot is about the same age as Louisa. Eliot at age fifteen decided to stay in Denmark following a family trip. Eliot paints the barn during his visit to his father. He wants to know why Louisa is glad to see him-- obviously a prickly character. Performers of the tango are extraordinary, exotic. Dancers and musicians are ardent and passionate. Nora, a child, ponders the qualities possessed by her Uncle Desmond, a bootlegger, and his friend Agnes. Nora's father threatens to smash the bottle of liquor. When Desmond marries suddenly, the family worries about Agnes. Things seem to have moved along to no good end. Characters misunderstand terms such as war bride and feel guilt for their failure to help an Irish boy achieve success in America. The boy's sister carries a sense of guilt because she had expectations he would have a successful future. A woman of Russian ancestry feels free to be aphoristic. The stories evidence a mixture of literary devices. Novelist, story-teller, Mary Gordon has mastered her craft.