Gibbon's Decline and Fall
Sheri S. Tepper
Language: English
Pages: 381
ISBN: 0553573985
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
A wave of fundamentalism is sweeping across the globe as the millennium approaches, and a power-hungry presidential candidate sees his ticket to success in making an example out of a teenage girl who abandoned her infant in a Dumpster. Taking the girl's case is Carolyn Crespin, a former attorney, who left her job for a quiet family life. Now she must call upon five friends from college, who took a vow to always stand together. But their success might depend on the assistance of Sophy, the enigmatic sixth friend, whom they all believed dead.
tipped onto the seat back, eyes shut, face very lean and drawn. Skull-like, thought Carolyn, putting the image away from her in revulsion. Maybe Ophy had found out what was wrong. Agnes had not said a word since rising and seemed disinclined to do so now. She had her rosary in her hands and two hectic patches of color stained her cheeks. Ophy and Jessamine sat together, talking about something technical, as though they were on a tour. Bettiann was nearest Carolyn, her face quiet and empty, hands
Christian, and then I added, totally gratuitously, that we were already dedicated to the decline and fall of society, as it was, so I was a subversive already, thank you very much.” “He must have loved that.” “He was extremely annoyed. I wouldn’t apologize and I wouldn’t recant. My aunts even got the family priest into the act, which just intensified my fury with the world in general. That was the end of my betrothal to Albert. I even gave him his damned bracelet back.” She nodded slowly,
orange juice or melon or bananas. Jake got cold cereal. Once he had thought he could get away with a banana. “Watch it, kid,” said the friend. “You’re messin’ up my paper.” “Yeah, Jake, watch it,” Ma laughed. “You be careful, now, Ratty.” He’d thought Jake the Rat was his name until he started to school and Ma told him his name would be Jake Jagger. “Was that my dad’s name?” he had asked her. “Jagger?” Her lips twisted. The smoke from her cigarette made a curtain before her narrowed eyes.
mentioning the Army of God should have told her who he was. “You’re Carolyn Crespin.” It wasn’t a question. She nodded, breathing in very slowly, concentrating on the breathing. “What the hell you think you’re doing interfering with my client.” It wasn’t a question. He bristled with antagonism and self-righteous fervor. Carolyn made herself take a deep breath before she replied, made her voice stay low and level though she wanted to scream at him. “She didn’t hire you, Mr. Harmston. You were
very far, but there had turned out to be an interesting synergy when a whole group was raised from infancy on signs. They even signed to one another, though not anything past the babble stage. Their interests seemed to be restricted to food and petting, and perhaps intragroup status, though they had no signs for that. Two words in a string was about it, except for Priapus, who occasionally surprised her. Don Juan concentrated on his banana, pretending she didn’t exist. If she turned her back,