... a house on fire is a perfect description for what seems to be happening now: these flickering small resentments licking their way up into the wall cavities; this faint, acrid smell of smoke. And suddenly, before you know it, everything threatening to go roaring out of control.
SYNOPSISThis collection of short stories catalogues moments from the dramatic to the mundane. In each story, though, there is an expansion of the characters beyond the roles that they have fallen into, an understanding of their own humanity which allows them to view the humanity in others. The collection inspires compassion and considers the impact of time and expectation on our relationships.
Generally, the stories are centred on small crisis points in individuals' lives, such as when they are waiting for medical tests or results, or have just experienced relationship break-ups. Often the crisis points are even smaller; rarely are the stories about life and death situations, rather they illustrate minuscule but important emotional challenges such as the conflicts and pressures of Christmas and family events. The narratives are intimate, domestic close-ups - often composed more of internal reflections and feelings than active events, though most do include key incidents around which the characters' thoughts emerge. In each of the stories there are the undercurrents of grief, regret, disconnection and imperfection that flow through any human life. Yet, at the same time, in most stories there are glimpses of hope, optimism, and resilience, despite all the challenges being faced. In some stories, the positivity is heavily outweighed by the sadness and disappointment, in some there is a closer balance between bleakness and hope, and in others the potential for positive outcomes overrides the sadness. In most cases, however, the stories leave this ultimate evaluation up to the audience, providing evidence both for a reading that emphasises the sadness and one that emphasises resilience in the face of these small human tragedies. FLEXION ASHES LAMINEX AND MIRRORS TENDER LIKE A HOUSE ON FIRE FIVE-DOLLAR FAMILY CROSS-COUNTRY SLEEPERS WHIRLPOOL CAKE WHITE SPIRIT LITTLE PLASTIC SHIPWRECK WAITING STATIC SEVENTY-TWO DERWENTS SAMPLE TEXT RESPONSE QUESTIONS:
|
The textThe SKILLSTUTORIALS
|
This website was produced, maintained and proudly shared by staff at Surf Coast Secondary College.
Find us at surfcoastsecondarycollege.vic.edu.au
Find us at surfcoastsecondarycollege.vic.edu.au
Proudly powered by Weebly