On "A History of Lies" by Sarah Kuntz Jones (5658 words) ***

Jones's story has all the markings of a well-structured tale. If I were going to map a short story, give readers a lesson on how to write one, Jones's piece might serve as a model, with its rising action and its climax. The piece is about one Odile Johnson, an "old maid" (at least in the 1940s) who chose to care for her mother rather than run off with a man. Not liking to draw attention to herself, Odile has crafted a life of denial--denying what she really wants and, in the process, denying others what they want. And like a well-put-together story, Odile, through the mysterious arrival of a meteorite, is forced finally to confront her own desires and to change. Read the story here at Summerset Review.