Drama in Real Life : A Collection of Short Stories

Abstract

Drama in Real Life is a collection of short stories representing characters of all ages, ranging from a teen-aged girl having a miscarriage in the backseat of her parent's car in What I Did Last Summer, or the relationship between a quaint old gentleman and his lonely neighbor in The Neighbor Lady, to a satirical look at teaching in the public schools in That Is All I Have to Say. The opening selection, A Fantasy, symbolizes the seemingly perfect life, a life that is never really attainable, represented by two beautiful but elusive dancers. Like the dancers, other characters in stories throughout the collection wish to participate in that same dance, seeking to find happiness in their lives, at whatever stage they may find themselves. It may be in resolving mother/ daughter relationships in Saturday Night at the Movies or coping with old age and loss of memory in The Cottonwood Trees. They struggle with family dysfunction and its lasting effects in Sisters, and seek to find a new dance, in the title story, Drama in Real Life, a story about divorce and starting over. This collection is a realistic look at intricate patterns in this dance of ours, the dance of a Drama in Real Life.