Merle's and Marilyn's Mink Ranch

Stories show people facing life and learning to cope with it on their own terms in a tightly-knit New England community

In this new collection of short stories, crisis and uncertainty bring odd sorts of excitement into the mundane lives of all who inhabit Tetu's world. Living cautiously and in ignorance, her characters find few opportunities for self-determination until old age, bad luck, or loss dominate their lives. In "The Blind Side," Harvey begins asserting himself only after he has to drive around without a car door and live in his house with half the windows covered. Eva, the heroine of "Waiting," counts grandchildren and worries about her stove to control fear and panic while she waits for Emmet to discover her collapsed body by the woodpile. All of Tetu's characters are "real" people who travel dirt roads and compete with the rain to get things done. Her highly descriptive style lends dignity to their impoverished lives and transforms their unremarkable experiences into memorable ones. Recommended for all fiction collections.
- Janet W. Reit, Univ. of Vermont Lib., Burlington
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.