Title: Peripheral Visions and Other Stories (Unsolicited Press)
Author: Nancy Christie
Genre: Contemporary Fiction — Short stories
Book Blurb:
What do you do when the hand that life deals you isn’t the one you wanted? In the award-winning Peripheral Visions and Other Stories, the characters choose to play the best game they can with the cards they’ve received. For some, it’s making the most of the circumstances in which they find themselves, even if it’s not the life they planned. For others, it’s following an unconventional path–not the easiest course or the one that others would take, but the one that’s right for them. From humorous to serious, the characters in these twenty stories experience a range of human emotions—from fear, grief and regret to courage and acceptance—all while believing that life will get better if they can just hold on and stay strong.
Excerpt from “Remember Mama”:
“Maggie, where’s my tea?”
Maggie set down the dishcloth and moved to answer her mother’s call. The rest of the china, like so many other tasks half-completed, would have to wait.
“You had your tea already, Mama. Remember? I brought you a cup of tea and you finished it and said you didn’t want any more.”
But the old woman shook her head obstinately.
“No, I didn’t. You never brought it. I’ve been waiting for hours” the now-familiar note of self-pity creeping into her voice, “and you never brought it to me.”
Maggie smothered a sigh. There was no point in arguing with her mother. She could show her the cup she drank from and her mother still wouldn’t remember.
Couldn’t, Maggie corrected herself. Her mother couldn’t remember. She had to keep reminding herself of that fact or the frustration would soon grow too strong to handle.
“Where is—where is—” Her mother struggled for a name and then gave up. “Where did he go?”
“Paul”—the name emphasized just a bit, “had to go away on a business trip. To California. I told you all about it, Mama. Remember?”
Paul, who had shown infinite patience and tenderness with his mother-in-law. He pretended everything was normal and persisted in carrying on one-sided conversations with her about the weather, current events, upcoming plans for the weekend.
But lately, her mother couldn’t even remember his name.
“Oh, yes, now I remember.” But her mother’s voice held no conviction. “It just slipped my mind for a moment.” She looked at her daughter, obviously hoping that the excuse would be accepted.
Maggie nodded her head, joining her mother in the delusion. “Mama’s poor memory”—how often she and her father had teased her mother about her inability to recall names, dates, places. It had been humorous once, but no longer. Now it was a tragic reality.
After Maggie’s father had died, her mother had become distracted and forgetful, and initially Maggie put much of the blame on grief. But even sorrow, she was finally forced to admit, couldn’t wreak such havoc on a person’s mental abilities. Even grief couldn’t keep you from recalling where you lived, where you were going, whether or not you’d eaten or slept or changed your clothes. Only sickness could do that.
Remembering this, Maggie asked with more patience, “Do you want another cup of tea now, Mama?” as she straightened the soft throw across her mother’s narrow, blue-veined feet. Maggie recalled watching her mother knit the soft mix of blue and cream and orchid yarns during the long nights in the hospital, the clicking sound of the needles a counterpoint to the noise of the respirator that filled her father’s lungs with air.
Someday, she would think, she would have to ask her mother to show her how to knit like that.
But there was never a free moment to learn. And now, her mother couldn’t even tie her own shoes.
“No, I’m not thirsty anymore. But I am hungry, Maggie. How soon is dinner?”
“Not for a long time, Mama. We just had lunch.” Her mother frowned, and Maggie knew she didn’t recall the omelet filled with cheese and herbs that her daughter had carefully prepared just half an hour ago. She went on quickly.
“I thought I’d make a roast for dinner, with new potatoes and green beans with dill. Would you like that for dinner, Mama?” knowing the question was pointless even as it was asked. No matter what her mother’s initial response was, she was certain to change her mind by the time the food was ready. But Maggie had to keep the fiction alive that her mother’s opinions and desires counted for something, as inconsistent as they were.
Her mother was silent for a moment, considering, and then shook her head. “I don’t like beans—they’ve got strings. Why can’t we have carrots instead?”
Maggie smiled. “Okay, Mama, I’ll make carrots. Carrots in honey sauce, like you used to do. Why don’t you take a little rest now while I finish washing the dishes?” and she stroked her mother’s hair as the old woman obediently closed her eyes.
Slipping her fingers through the fine white strands, Maggie gazed with love and pity at her mother’s face. With her eyes closed, her mother could be like any other old woman, just growing a bit more forgetful as years passed. Sometimes, Maggie could almost convince herself that this particular fantasy was real.
But then her mother would open her eyes to gaze blankly at her surroundings. The confusion that had been hidden behind those paper-thin lids would be painful to see, as Maggie watched her mother struggle to recall some recognizable pattern from the fading fabric of memory.
Suddenly, her mother moved her head, pulling it free from her daughter’s caressing fingers.
“Leave me be,” she said petulantly. “How can I sleep if you stand there bothering me?”
Maggie bit her lip, hurt by the sudden rejection.
“All right, Mama, I’ll leave you alone. But call me if you need anything,” and she slowly left her mother’s side, returning to the kitchen where a pile of glasses and dishes waited to be washed and put away.
“Why did I decide to do this today?” she said aloud wearily, surveying the stack needing her attention. It was true the china cabinet was overdue for cleaning, but since her mother had come to stay, there was never enough time or energy for all those extra household chores.
Instead, there were endless trips to the grocery store, trying to keep abreast of her mother’s strange and changeable food preferences; visits to the doctor and drug store, as medicines were tried, and, not surprisingly, failed to improve her mother’s mental condition.
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
Sale price for May is $14 when purchased directly from Unsolicited Press
Unsolicited Press: https://www.unsolicitedpress.com/store/p262/PeripheralVisions.html
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/peripheral-visions-and-other-stories-nancy-christie/1134895011
Walmart: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Peripheral-Visions-and-Other-Stories-Paperback-9781950730407/516971744
What makes your featured book a must-read?
Peripheral Visions and Other Stories depicts a range of relationships, including those between mothers and daughters. Some, like the excerpt from “Remember Mama,” show the bond between mother and child from an adult’s viewpoint, while others, like “Peripheral Visions and “I Remember,” depict relationships that, while not by blood, still have a tender maternal component. Regardless of how the relationship comes to be, the love between a mother and child is one to be treasured and valued.
Giveaway –
Enter to win a $25 Amazon US or Amazon Canada gift card
Open Internationally. You must have an active Amazon US or CA account to win.
Runs May 5 – May 13, 2022.
Winner will be drawn on May 14, 2022.
Author Biography:
Nancy Christie is the award-winning author of two short story collections: Traveling Left of Center and Other Stories and Peripheral Visions and Other Stories (both published by Unsolicited Press); two books for writers: Rut-Busting Book for Writers and Rut-Busting Book for Authors (both published by Mill City Press) and the inspirational book, The Gifts of Change (Atria/Beyond Words). Her short stories have appeared in numerous literary publications, with several earning contest placements. Christie’s third collection, Mistletoe Magic and Other Holiday Tales, will be out in 2023.
The host of the Living the Writing Life podcast and founder of the annual “Celebrate Short Fiction” Day, Christie is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, and the Florida Writers Association.
Social Media Links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NChristie_OH
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancychristiewr/