Hello, readers. Welcome to Short Story Sunday. Each week I will post about a short story that I think is worth a read. These posts will necessarily be shorter than my full book posts and make for a quick digestible read during your busy weekend. If you have short stories near and dear to you, please comment or send me a message. I’m always looking for new ideas.
This week, let’s review a short story called Abscond, by Abraham Verghese. This is a sad story, but the humanity of the story counterbalances that sadness. The story focuses on Ravi, a young teenager who unexpectedly loses his father. Ravi has to come to grips with his own grief, as well as his mother’s. Abscond brought tears to my eyes. The characters felt very real; I wanted to reach out and hug Ravi throughout the story.
What I loved about Abscond was the sense of community coming together to support one another. Ravi and his mother weren’t alone in grieving the loss of Ravi’s father; they had friends and neighbors all around them to help support them. In times of loss, when you don’t know what comes next, remember your community, and remember to be that community for your loved ones when they need it.
I was able to get early access to this book through Amazon First Reads. It will be available for purchase starting July 1 for anyone without Amazon Prime.
More information about Abraham Verghese can be found on his webpage, https://www.abrahamverghese.org/
