‘The Self-Improvement Of Salvadore Ross’ by Henry Slesar

The Self-Improvement Of Salvadore Ross by Henry Slesar, 1961

The magic trick:

A fun, interesting – if scary – premise for a story

It’s not difficult to filter every piece of art you take in these days (I write this in September of 2018) through the Trump lens. But this story is particularly applicable, it seems.

A character who makes every single human interaction a transaction? Operates with zero concern about anyone or anything beyond the micro-stakes of winning the deal?

Yep.

Note, too, that we’re posting this in October. That kind of mentality is a horror story, indeed. It’s also a really cool premise – at least for fiction.

And that’s quite a trick on Slesar’s part.

The selection:

He started to shake all over and wished he had a drink. That made him think of Phil. He telephoned the bar and nobody answered. He called Phil at home.

“Jesus Sal, Jesus. How’d you do it? It’s a miracle,” Phil said. “I never saw nothin’ like it.”

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