Short Stories Round 2: The Darkside of Man

and so it continues... i'm really enjoying this season of short stories, venturing quickly into different authors worlds, getting a small taste of each man/womans individual style. its been fun for me, even edifying in a way to conquer five pieces in a month, be they short. it still feels like an accomplishment. and the conversations have never dissapointed. i'll admit, i felt a bit like a farce at first, within the idea of a group of us itting in a circle, 'discussing literature and drinking wine' (read with a snobby accent). but i've been happily proven wrong. thank you all for being a part, i do appreciate it.

so... first a familiar face. i will write this from my perspective, with everyone invited to share theirs. i felt a theme of 'the darkside of man' throughout this series of stories. with 'Bernice Bobs her hair, we discussed he cattiness of young girls, caught up in the light of social acceptance, the gullibility of men in taking whatever they're fed. the joy of revenge. the weird sacrifices made to navigate a lifestyle that seems so important but yet always results as so unfulfilling. mackensie read a forward from her book that shared a story of how this story came from aletter fitzgerald wrote to his sister on how to succeed more as a girl (ie, eyebrow grooming and conversational tactics. fascinating).
"the thief," a personal favorite to many in the group, told a story of the stereotypes and normal disdain placed against a thief, against a story of friendship and love persevering through that very sin. a great fable of man learning bitterly the cost and weight of love at personal cost.
"the destructors" was accompanied by a clip from 'donnie darko' and followed by a conversation of the almost terrifying shallowness and reckless abandon of youth. testing limits and rules unbound by adult rots of why and why not. just to simply see the world burn.
"lamb to the slaughter" was a fun and complete story. we discussed the weird, but very human, daze that she, the protagonist, moves around her world post murder. the way she detaches from her world, the way we have all experienced post break up or any bad situation, and glide on cruise control through the actions that follow. it was wrapped up neatly.
and lastly... i was a bit nervous bringing mr. king into the mix. he's a personal favorite, but gets a negative wrap as a mostly horror writer with horrible cinematical adaptations. but we spent more time discussing this than any other, which warmed my heart. the horrifying but real feeling depiction of the devil. the ways he plays us, the deceitfulness of his pursuit. the way he speaks, so rooted in genesis 3. stephen king is a masterful story teller, who hopefully you will read exclusively from now on.

yes.

thanks to you all for being a part. you're all amazing.