Goodbye Marcus, Goodbye Rose by Jean Rhys, 1976
The magic trick:
A title that only makes sense in the very last paragraph of the story
Startling good story here today from Jean Rhys. Definitely stops you in your tracks to marvel at just how well done it is. You’ll also be marveling, though, about how bleak it is.
The title is this story’s secret weapon. You won’t know what it means until the very end of the story. And it’s that reveal that is provides the final nail in the coffin for the story’s ultimate message.
And that’s quite a trick on Rhys’s part.
The selection:
Phoebe had never liked Mrs. Cardew very much. Now she began to dislike her. One afternoon they were in a room together and Mrs. Cardew said, “Do you see how white my hair’s becoming? It’s all because of you.” And when Phoebe answered truthfully that she didn’t notice any white hairs: “What a really dreadful little liar you are!”
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