Short Stories, Irish literature, Classics, Modern Fiction, Contemporary Literary Fiction, The Japanese Novel, Post Colonial Asian Fiction, The Legacy of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and quality Historical Novels are Among my Interests








Monday, May 6, 2013

" 'Wuff, Wuff, Wuff' For de Valera by Eilis Ni Dhuibhne (2003, 9 pages from Midwife to the Fairies)


My prior posts on Eilis Ni Dhuibhne



I recently was lucky enough to acquire used copies of short story collections by one of Ireland's leading contemporary writers, Eilis Ni Dhuibhne.  I have previously posted on two of her novels and several of her short stories.   I read the lead story in Midwife to the Faires last night, "Wuff, Wuff, Wuff for de Valera" last night and I liked it a lot.   I have already read and posted on the title story, so besides this story there are ten more I have not yet read.  I will read them all soon and post on more them I am sure.  My blogging time will be short for the next three weeks so my posts will be shorter than normal for a while.  

The story is about the lives and interactions of two sisters, twins.  We take them from childhood well into middle age.  It is narrated in the first person by one of the sisters who is harshly critical of  her sibling.   She thinks her sister  would still be decent looking if she lost some weight, ponders why she never advanced at work, why she has had troubles in her relationships.   We learn something very sad about the sister and we do see how an unmarried pregnant woman who does not want a baby was treated in Ireland.  We see the sister who narrates is in bad faith and ultimately is quite selfish.

There is much in this story and I look forward to reading another thirty of so short stories by the author.

Mel u
"Mel, the shorter your posts are
the better"  Carmilla

No comments: