The Copper Peacock and Other Stories

The title story, The Copper Peacock, may not be the best in the volume, but it lingers strongest in memory. It is a sad tale about a working class cleaning lady who comes to tidy the flat of a snobby rich society type, and though the kind-hearted, rough-spoken cleaning lady tries to be friendly, the snob only looks down on her and belittles her. We notice, as the employer does not, how hard the woman's life clearly is and catch signs that go missed by her self-important boss that the maid is in an abusive relationship. When one day the cleaning woman brings her employer a gift she thought might be appreciated--a small copper neo-modern peacock for a desk ornament--the employer does not try to conceal the contempt felt over the piece, which is clearly inferior to the refined tastes and artistic pretensions that have been cultivated over a lifetime. The unfeeling boss is heedless to the fact the item no doubt cost a lot in comparison to what the maid earned, and does not care how the rejection of the gift hurts the well-meaning woman. Shortly after this the maid is beaten to death by her violent boyfriend and the employer at last realizes regret over the reaction to the gift the maid got her. A sad, sad, sad, story! Fortunately the remainder of the tales in this collection are not quite so dreary. In one, a likable young professional woman is reading in a public place when some items of her clothing are stolen by a tall woman whom she sees hurrying away into a crowd. She is angered by this intrusion, and it leads on down the story to her involvement with an odd, charming man who connects back to her because of the incident of theft, which he claimed to witness. Eventually the woman is at the man's flat and as she begins looking around, she finds her missing possessions and realizes in a chilling "it's too late now" moment that the MAN was the thief, that he dresses as a woman to go out in public and commit his thefts--brilliant disguise!--and now she's, as it might be said, "in his clutches"... Another short story is about a woman in love with a married man. The man drags the reluctant young woman into a plot to murder his wife, so that they might be married. The woman neither agrees nor exactly recoils from the plot and after the woman is dead, she accepts her place as wife and stepmother but things are rather ruined and she never thinks of the man the same way again. Years pass, she gets older and is increasingly unhappy. She begins to grow paranoid that her husband is having an affair with a woman of roughly the same age she was when she and the man first met. She has some minor "accidents" come to pass around her and is terrified that she is marked for death. Though the husband tells her it's madness, of course he loves her, she is left a screaming wreck, utterly regretting the life her complicity has gotten for her. Probably the best mystery among these nine stories is about the apparent suicide of an elderly woman with a history of depres

Don't expect simple murder and mayhem, or neat storybook endings. "The Copper Peacock" is both a 'vulgar' bookmark and a vain young man who wouldn't have it as a gift. Bernard, young but successful biographer of obscure literary lights, has great (good?) luck in his friends. Before leaving for a US publicity tour, fellow author Peter loans Bernard his flat as a kid-free workspace. The flat even comes with cleaning service, Judy, a young woman who keeps it neat as Bernard's mother's place, quietly feeding him lunch (as his wife has no time to do) as he writes about literary men dazzling their working-class mistresses. But though considering himself an artist, Bernard doesn't look at the world around him - sometimes deliberately, refusing to think of life when his wife returns to her job in the spring, and sometimes not, when Judy turns up bruised from 'accidents'. "Dying Happy" The nameless narrator listens to a dying friend unburdening himself about the love of his life - Susanna, with whom he cheated on his wife Miriam twenty years ago. Over time, he ceased openly comparing Miriam unfavourably to Susanna, and his marriage somewhat recovered. But upon her husband's recent request to see Susanna again, Miriam exploded, complete with death threats if Susanna (whom she'd never met) turned up. Funny how things work out... "The Fish-Sitter", Cyril (viewpoint character), works for Malvina's Aquarium at a seaside resort, locking up and feeding the fish in the evenings (but not cleaning the tanks, a specialist job). When Cyril gives a crab dinner to a girl working in the same complex, Malvina accuses him of using one of her exhibits. "Long Live the Queen" begins with a death, as Anna runs over a cat-lover's most treasured companion. Anna soon regrets leaving a note for the owner, who by turns calls Anna a murderer and demands 800 pounds in compensation (everything spent on the 'queen' throughout her life). Creepy. Charlotte, more dedicated to her career than her husband, accepts Nell as a "Mother's Help" for car-loving three-year-old Daniel. Trouble brewing right off, as Ivan takes time off "to be with Daniel". Nell as the viewpoint character is besotted with Ivan, but nevertheless manages to lull Charlotte's suspicions with talk of an imaginary boyfriend. Charlotte appears more concerned with Daniel's late talking (and fondness for his nanny) than with a husband whose main objection to divorce seems financial. Some women have poor pattern-recognition skills - but which woman? "A Pair of Yellow Lilies" embroidered on a jacket she can't afford distracts Bridget as her bag is stolen (ironically, while researching a motivational speaker), together with cash from her well-off aunt. But the theft gives as well as takes away; a helpful librarian befriends her, and a good-looking stranger returns some of the bag's discarded contents. Nice character study. The nameless narrator, abandoned to the care of her loveless grandparents at birth, is fascinated by