Patricia Abbott (pattinase): Short Story Wednesday, A Manual For Cleaning Women, Lucia Berlin

Wednesday, December 17, 2025

Short Story Wednesday, A Manual For Cleaning Women, Lucia Berlin

I have been reading at this collection for more than a decade. A great writer but the stories feel too similar to read all at once. "Mourning" is about a woman who cleans houses (mostly empty ones) for a living. Especially houses where people have recently died. She's cleaning the house of a black mailman in this story. His son and daughter arrive and they are trying to decide what to keep, what to give away. Their mourning becomes more palpable as they discuss various objects. The woman is rude to the cleaner; the man is kind.

There are terrific stories but don't read them all at once.

10 comments:

Jeff Meyerson said...: I checked and I did read this at the end of 2023. Didn't remember that I finished it.

I put aside that Sheila Schwartz collection, so if you get to New York this year I will give it to you. Interesting if dark.

I did finally finish that William McGivern collection of pulp stories, and the last one I read really reminded me of something Bill Crider would love. "Safari To the Lost Ages" is a pretty silly time travel story, but fun to read.

Currently reading the latest British Library collection of stories edited by Martin Edwards, WHO KILLED FATHER CHRISTMAS? I read the Patricia Moyes "Who Killed Father Christmas" years ago when Crippen & Landru did a collection of her stories, but I enjoyed reading it again.; 8:12 AM
pattinase (abbott) said...: Always enjoyed a Patricia Moyes story. I don't know why I don't just sit down and finish it.; 8:32 AM
Gerard Saylor said...: I recall a Studs Terkel piece where he spoke to a cleaning woman who cleaned the empty apartment of a rich person. The owner would use the apartment once or twice a year at most. The cleaner followed a regular schedule but there was not nothing do except for light dusting.
At least I think it was Terkel.; 12:58 PM
Margot Kinberg said...: This sounds like an interesting focus for a story, Patti. I haven't read a whole lot of novels and stories where cleaners were the protagonists. I should check this out.; 1:07 PM
TracyK said...: I got this book recently and it was on my list because of reading about it here, either Jeff's comments or yours. I appreciate your advice on not trying to read the the whole thing at once. I do plan to read some stories from this book in the next few months.; 1:36 PM
JJ Stickney said...: Really like this collection.; 4:38 PM
pattinase (abbott) said...: Brilliant.; 5:23 PM
George said...: Just through serendipity, I just finished Lydia Davis's new book, INTO THE WEEDS. Davis writes about her life as a writer and her writing process. My review will be posted to my blog in a week or two.; 5:41 PM
Kent Morgan said...: I used to read quite a few short story collections, but not in recent years. Today might be a good day to pull on out as here in Manitoba we were hit with a blizzard overnight so it's a stay-in day. Most schools are closed and no travel is being allowed on any highways outside of Winnipeg. i emailed a high school friend, who has lived in Florida for decades, and asked if she ever remembered schools being closed when we lived north of the 53rd parallel. i think no matter how much snow there was, we just put on our parkas and boots or moccasins and waded through it to school. Occasionaly, we would wear a toque on our head to stop our ears from freezing. What I do remember from those days is that there were few cars on the streets other than taxis and delivery vehicles. Tires would be removed and cars put up on blocks for the winter even if they were put a garage. People walked to work and to the movie theatre and the skating and curling rinks that were the hubs of social activity in the winter. The northen lights were a regular occurence.; 1:39 PM
pattinase (abbott) said...: I guess the car/pedestrian or bus accident collisions possibility is what keeps kids home mostly. It was one of the great moments of my childhood to hear my school was closed. I can remember my Dad whispering it in my door. Although in Michigan (I grew up in Philly) it has sometimes been temps as much as snow.; 3:23 PM