Recent Reads: Jean Thompson's "Wilderness"

Remember way back (OK--last December) when I mentioned I'd recently read Jean Thompson's story collection, Throw Like a Girl?

Well, I've now had the chance to read some of Thompson's work more recently, too. That's because Thompson's story, "Wilderness," is the latest release from the ever-reliable One Story.

Check out editor Hannah Tinti's take:

Jean Thompson’s “Wilderness” came to us through One Story reader Jason Watt, who once studied with Jean, and has been talking about her incredible skills and pursuing her for a story for a while. When “Wilderness” finally was passed to me, I brought it on the subway, where I do most of my reading. Well, I not only missed one–I missed two stops before realizing the F train had taken me way past my home. This seemed appropriate, since Anna’s narrative begins and ends on a train. In any case, I knew this story was for One Story. It’s very difficult, I think, to use letters properly in a short story, without distracting from the action or forward momentum of the piece. Somehow, Ted’s letters in “Wilderness,” even though they do not touch on the current action of Anna’s Thanksgiving trip to visit Lynn, weave their way through the emotional underpinnings of the story, so that when Anna comes to her conclusion, at the end, it feels completely on target. This story is beautifully crafted, and hits all the complicated feelings of trying to connect in middle age, whether in a marriage, a friendship, with children, or with lovers.

True to custom, One Story has published a complementary Q&A with the story's author, too. Love that feature!