The Hunter by E.L. Doctorow, 1984
The magic trick:
Beautifully establishing a setting to cast the protagonist against
This is the first thing I’ve read by Doctorow, and it left a strong impression. It’s simply a very, very fine story – expertly mixing characterization, plot, suspense, mood and poetry.
I will probably most remember the story for its setting. This town’s cold, forlorn, past-its-prime rust is dreary to the point of a little threatening. And it’s crucial to the story’s theme too. Our protagonist, a young schoolteacher, seems to embrace the town more as a concept than as a real place. She fancies that she can see potential in the children no one else can tap. She thinks she understands the romance of the town’s history more than the people who have actually lived here for a while.
As a result, she is detached from the very place she wishes to call home.
And that’s quite a trick on Doctorow’s part.
The selection:
The yellow bus comes into the school driveway and pulls up before the front door. She puts her hand on the shoulder of each child descending the steps from the bus. The young man with the blond hair and eyebrows smiles at her.
There have been sacred rites and legendary events in this town. In a semi-pro football game a player was killed. A presidential candidate once came and spoke. A mass funeral was held here for the victims of a shoe-factory fire. She understands the new bus driver had no knowledge of any of this.
Short Story Magic Tricks 