"An Eye for an Eye" and other stories

"An Eye for an Eye," the title story of this collection, is psychological in nature. The protagonist is a young adolescent who, like the story's old screen door that is continually buffetted and battered by the wind, is motivated by events he can neither control nor understand. Just as the boy, through whose eyes the reader views the action, is a victim of emotional violence, so too is an old turtle the receptor of the boy's resultant anger.

"The Hound and the Hunt," the second story of this collection, deals with a young adolescent who views an act of violence, his uncle's fatal shooting of a hound the youth loved. Unable to comprehend the reason for his uncle's actions, the youth effects an estrangement between himself and the older man that lasts more than a decade. However, through an event that occurs in his early adulthood, the youth comes to understand his uncle's motivations and reaches a reconciliation with the elderly man.

The third story, "The Valkyrie," is a whimsical work loosely based on Norse Mythology. The action of the story takes place in the memory of a young man, soon to be married, who reflects upon a short but powerful passage of his youth: his first fleeting romance.

"Damascus" takes place on the grounds of a school for emotionally disturbed children. Irony is the primary tool employed in this story. The protagonist, a young man who has the opportunity to redeem his previously irresponsible life, turns his back on "Damascus" rather than saving a disturbed young boy's life.

The longest story of this collection, "Falling Star," is about a young man who takes up sky diving in an attempt to win a woman's affection. Through the tragic death of his rival, another sky diver, the protagonist does indeed win the love he sought but ironically begins to reenact many of the events lived by his deceased competitor.

"Reunion" revolves around an old black woman, considered insane by other members of her community, who during the same week of every year leaves her home for a nocturnal reunion with another old creature, a sea turtle. "Reunion" is perhaps the most touching work in this collection, ending on a positive note that makes it a fitting choice as the collection's final story.