Harmony’S Song and Other Stories

Book excerpt: Twelve stories explore the stresses and strains inherent in youth coming of age, family dynamics, misplaced and unrequited love, the reserved strength in a marriage, a confrontation with death, and the constant awareness that there is never enough money. Ernest Ramblers family lives with the knowledge that Ernest senses that he must always be looking for or moving to a better job, which means they will be moving again soon. The stories place the characters in Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, Arkansas, and Louisiana. None of the characters seems to find a sense of permanence in any one place. In Ramblers and Spinners, coming of age can mean a counting of losses. In A Wide Day, the death of a chicken reveals a mystery about time and life and death. Arrangements and Harmonys Song display how little one might know about another. There is a general sense that everything in life involves unending pursuits of security and love and that coming of age may well be a never-ending process.