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In her collection of
short stories, Elaine Buckley explores the themes of betrayal
and loss. Although each story takes place in a different time
period and setting, each main character finds him/herself
at the mercy of powerful forces. The forces range from the
power of nature, to powers of deceit and disloyalty. Each
character trusts someone who has power over the future, and
in each case betrayal waits. The most powerful forces, those
of ignorance and superstition, are revealed in "The Fever."
Here, a well-intentioned family treats Ruth, who is sick with
Rheumatic Fever, with leeches, Holy Water and prayers while
bacteria ravage her heart.
In "An Appetite for Life" a husband does everything
to please his discontented wife who abandons him and their
newborn son to run away with a new lover. A young relative
observes the unfolding events that are not given much attention
by other family members. The family focus on food, alcohol,
material goods and family protocol doesn't allow acknowledgment
of the man's suffering. This is betrayal on a subtler level
for the young observer who learns that things concerned with
emotions and human suffering somehow need to be hidden away.
"The Sea Scout" is a picture of a young woman's
fiancé when he was a young boy. She believes he is the love
of her life and places her trust in him. Pregnant with his
child, she discovers he isn't the man she had created in her
mind.
A young boy grows up with an unstable, alcoholic mother in
"The Fishing Trip." He thinks he has found stability
and a father figure in his life when his mother attracts a
boyfriend into their lives. Eventually, the mother becomes
jealous of the relationship developing between her boyfriend
and her son and ends her affair. The boy, with a taste of
something wonderful, finds himself abandoned in the end. Betrayal
and loss are powerful factors in these stories and their impact
is reflected as the author develops her characters.
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