Her Real Name by Charles D’Ambrosio, 1993
The magic trick:
A riveting plot running parallel to a bleak portrait of 1977 America
We have a weekly double of Charles D’Ambrosio stories for you. Both are pulled from his debut collection The Point.
“Her Real Name” takes a few pages to reveal its true premise, and it’s a bit of a twist, so I don’t want to spoil it here for folks who have not read this excellent story.
The story is full of plot, suspense, and hurt. The characters are specific and you will learn quickly to care about them. So this is not some kind of morality tale where the reader knows to take the surfaces for what they are and look deeper into the symbols. You really can take the story as a specific story. But if you are so inclined, there is also a lot here to comment on the state of America as a failed state. Basically, every single person we meet is living on the edge, desperate just to find the next day. It’s a very double-level story in that way. Plot and portrait, both.
And that’s quite a trick on D’Ambrosio’s part.
The selection:
The girl closed her eyes; she splashed water on her face and chest.
“It’s so hot,” she said. “Tell me some more about the Eskimos.”
“I’m running out of things to say about Eskimos,” Jones said. “I only read that one book.”
“Say old stuff, I don’t care.”
He searched his memory for what he remembered of Knud Rasmussen.
“Nothing’s wasted,” Jones said. “They use everything. The Inuit can make a sled out of a slain dog. They kill the dog and skin it, then cut the hide into two strips.”
“I’m burning alive,” the girl said.
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