Jack Lorey and Joan, both natives of Ohio, meet up again in New York City in the 1930s. Joan is a "big" handsome girl and after failing at a try at modeling becomes a hostess in a restaurant. Jack and Joan meet up, mostly at her parties, over a number of years. Each time, she is with another man who is either ill or will become ill soon after. Is she attracted to such men or is it bad luck? Jack also had a number of bad relationships and more and more they are drawn to each other. The war comes and goes and both of them age and Jack at some point resembles the ne'er do wells Joan is attracted to.
At the story's end Jack accuses Joan of being a crow, who comes into feed on the sick and dying. I read this story in American Fantastic Tales and it took me quite a few pages before I began to see how it fit into this book. Why was it a fantastic story because it many ways it read like a typical Cheever story about suburbia. By the end, I believed Joan was a carrion, feeding on such men. Or is she a vampire feeding on the blood of the men. Or possibly she is death itself, bringing illness to every man who comes home with her? A very interesting story and of course, wonderfully written. You can find it online, I think. The New Yorker published it too.
5 comments:
I read Cheever's collected stories a few years ago. I associate him with Updike and others of that era. Personally, I'd take John O'Hara.
I haven't been reading that many short stories this month - one a day, of course, but rarely more than that. Still reading the Graham Swift collection, which is variable but enjoyable overall.
I haven't read John Cheever in such a long time, Patti! It's good to be reminded...
I don't remember having read any stories by Cheever, although there is one in 100 Years of the Best American Short Stories that I could try ("The Enormous Radio"). This one does sound interesting and strange.
"The Enormous Radio" is one of his more direct fantasies, as well.
Finally another in on the Day Of, if not the standard Ready on the Morning Of, after a last day (fingers crossed) of heater repair and of cleaning out the old bedroom so it can become Alice's new office (mostly of furniture, after moving other rooms' contents around to make room. https://socialistjazz.blogspot.com/2025/01/ssw-robert-bloch-movie-people-magazine.html
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