This collection has a large percentage of wonderful stories in it. Usually, there are only one or two in a collection that I find memorable. In this collection, I found four. Perhaps the excellence is due to its being edited by John Updike. Of note are the following: 1) Gent by Rick DeMarinis - - This story is told from a child's point of view. The child's mother is on her third marriage. Her first two husbands have committed suicide. She is cheating on her third husband. 2) Morrison's Reaction by Stephen Kirk - - This is a great story. It is about the relationship of a dentist to his patient in one three hour setting. The dentist is driven to extremes of anger at the patient because of the patient's provocative manner. 3) Rosa by Cynthia Ozick - - This is one of my favorite short stories of all time. I have read this, along with The Shawl, three times. The story is about a Polish woman named Rosa, once wealthy and educated. She now resides in Miami, clinging to the memories of her time in a concentration camp. She conjures up memories of her daughter, Magda, and thinks about her evil niece, Stella. The story is haunting. 4) The Cold Room by Lowry Pei - - A man who dissects rats for a living becomes obsessed with both the mundaneness and horror of his work. He has relationships with two women and these are explored with the backdrop of his work. By all means, read this collection. It is the best on in the series for more than two decades.
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