The Frame

Like most short stories they start abruptly, but they mostly end more abruptly than I would’ve liked. I got used to it after a few stories, but even with my love of ambiguous endings I would’ve liked a bit more resolution. There were four or five, though, that were quite evocative. “Still Life with Watermelons” tells of a woman who gets laid off and decides to make money by painting watermelons, since she knows of a rich man who collects watermelon paintings. “The Ocean” follows a recently retired man and his wife as they take a camper across the country to see the ocean; her first time ever, his since he returned from the army. “Graveyard Day” is more humorous than many, with a single mother trying to start dating again, while her 10-year-old daughter acerbicly tells her to get with the times. Most of the stories deal with the generation gap in some way, especially between mothers and daughters. I have the feeling that re-reading the stories when I have more time and attention will be rewarding.