After reading Brooklyn by Colm Toibin , I was prepared for a quiet, understated story and that's exactly what I found in "The Color of Shadows". The story opens:
"Ali Hyland, one of the neighbors in Enniscorthy, phoned Paul in Dublin to say that his Aunt Josie, his father's sister, had been found that morning on the floor, having fallen out of bed in the house where she lived alone; they thought that she had been lying there most of the night."
Aunt Josie is taken to the hospital, then placed in a nursing home where she slowly begins to fade, and eventually dies. The end of life experience at the nursing home was especially well-written. Unfortunately, there's not much more to say.
Paul, whose father died when he was young, was raised by his aunt due to circumstances, involving alcohol, that are not fully revealed. He never saw his mother again, but believes her to still be alive. There are unresolved issues, or shadows, that come to light in the course of Aunt Josie's decline and death.
This was a good story, but nothing special. Perhaps after Brooklyn, my expectations were too high. "The Color of Shadows" appeared in The New Yorker magazine in April 2009. You can read it on their website.
For more Short Story Monday posts, visit John at The Book Mine Set.
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