The story of a man who decides never to get out of bed again and the ripple effects that follow. A young man awakening to his sense of entitlement. Two couples grappling with desire and frustration. A man quietly watching topless women by the pool from his hotel room. A boy staging a Christmas play in the hope of receiving a kiss. These eight short stories form a collection that is, by turns, amusing and poignant, and which always touches on something deeply human. I found it a thoroughly enjoyable read — subtle, insightful and often unexpectedly funny.
“But I digress. Back to the Nativity play, The Story of Christmas, as it was rather unimaginatively entitled. I wanted to call it The Fruit of the Womb, but the parish priest, Father Stanislaus Lynch, wouldn’t have it – the first of many battles we had over the play. He said my title was indecent. I pointed out that it was a quotation from the Hail Mary: ‘and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.’ He said that, taken out of context, the words had a different effect. I said: ‘What you mean is that in context they have no effect at all, because Catholics recite prayers in a mindless drone, without paying any attention to what they’re saying. My play is designed to shock them out of their mental torpor, into a new awareness of what Christmas is all about – Incarnation.’ I was a fluent and arrogant youth – at least in intellectual debate. In other areas of life, such as girls, I was less assured.”
Contents
The Man Who Woudn’t Get Up / The Miser / My First Job / Where the Climate’s Sultry / Hotel de Boobs / Pastoral / A Wedding to Remember / My Last Missis