The way Birnie uses the square dance calls as a kind of counterpoint to the narrator's inner life is something else. Gerard calling "do-si-do" while this guy is quietly thinking about the lights in the sky, the black vans, the buzzing on the phone. The story is careful never to mock him for it. There's real dignity here, and real sadness, and real hope. The ending where he admits he still believes, just doesn't dwell on it anymore, is one of the most quietly honest things I've read in a while. Thank you for publishing this.
Words that dance!
The way Birnie uses the square dance calls as a kind of counterpoint to the narrator's inner life is something else. Gerard calling "do-si-do" while this guy is quietly thinking about the lights in the sky, the black vans, the buzzing on the phone. The story is careful never to mock him for it. There's real dignity here, and real sadness, and real hope. The ending where he admits he still believes, just doesn't dwell on it anymore, is one of the most quietly honest things I've read in a while. Thank you for publishing this.
Thanks for reading, and the kind words!