Do the Blind Dream?: New Novellas and Stories
Barry Gifford
Language: English
Pages: 224
ISBN: 1583226702
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
Do the Blind Dream? shows Gifford at the height of his powers, navigating with ease the new, more fragmented imaginative landscape of morning-after America. Gifford seems to have anticipated themes that suddenly are recognizable everywhere: the fragility of identity; the power of coincidence; the illusion of a secure tomorrow.
In contrast to his often nightmarish, satirical, groundbreaking novels of the 1990s—Wild at Heart, Perdita Durango, and Night People among them—Do the Blind Dream? continues in the tender and deeply introspective vein revealed in two recent works: Gifford’s memoir The Phantom Father (named a New York Times Notable Book), and the award-winning novella Wyoming. From the intimate, stylistically daring examination of the darkest secrets in the history of an Italian family, to the terrible but often beautiful fears and discoveries of childhood, to the sardonic, desperate confusion of adult life, Do the Blind Dream? reveals an exceptionally versatile, highly tuned sensibility.
From the Hardcover edition.
Polish Sisters of Immaculate Apparel. Samaki’s remaining family members were invited to the ceremony at the Vatican in Rome. The newspaper Corriere della Sera, however, noted in their account of the proceedings that none of the American Judge Sam Fish’s family was known to be in attendance. Havana Moon A NOVELLA Prelude Inside the Havana Moon nightclub the stage was suffused in a red glow. It was a tacky place. The bad lighting disguised the tawdriness of it. The band sounded as if it were
afternoon in the bedroom of a house in Fùlmine, a small town close to the sea in the south of Italy. Punctuated by occasional thunder and lightning, rain punished the walls and pounded against a high window. The room was sparsely furnished: a bed, a dresser and a mirror. On the wall over the bed hung a crucifix. Fresh yellow and blue flowers stood stiffly in a vase on the dresser. In the center of the room rested an open coffin in which lay the body of Beatrice, a woman seventy-six years old at
envelope to the doorman. The doorman looked at the envelope. Dino got back into the taxi and drove away. Raymond walked up to the hotel entrance. The doorman said, “This was delivered for you, Mr. Dean.” “Oh, hello, Phil. What? ” The doorman handed him the envelope. Raymond looked at it. “Thank you,” he said. The doorman held open the hotel door for Raymond. “Have a good evening, Mr. Dean.” “Thanks, Phil. You, too.” Raymond entered the hotel. In his room, Raymond opened the envelope and
picked up the black statuette Raymond had admired the first time he visited the apartment. He couldn’t control her, caught up as she was in her own desperate frenzy. Olivia hit Raymond in the head with the statuette. He collapsed to the floor. Slowly, Raymond’s consciousness returned. He was looking up but his vision was blurred. Two shapes were hovering over him. Eventually, his vision cleared and he saw the faces of two women looking down at him. Constance and the real Olivia. He stared at
his wife. Aldo lit his cigarette, then put away his lighter. Beatrice sat down in a chair. Giuliana said, “I’ll call and see if we can reserve a table.” “I need to lie down for a few minutes,” said Cara. She stood up. “Buddy, will you come with me?” “Sure, baby.” “I’ll fix the bed for you,” Rosa said. Rosa, Cara and Buddy left the room together. “All right, Aldo,” said Sandra, “what about the money?” “The money? You mean Mamma’s money?” “What other money would I be talking about? Mamma