Pardon me while I try and work out how all the links are supposed to work on this reading challenge thing.

“The Woman of the House” is a short story set in modern day Ireland. Within the story are two parallel stories. That of a “crippled old man” and his female cousin living with him and two house painters from “Carinthia” (Wikipedia says Carenthia is a real place) but who pass themselves off as Polish.

The story is about the bargains people make with each other and themselves and the consequences of those bargains.

Not a whole lot of action here but the two stories slowly merge in a very clever and satisfying way. Not to say that everybody is happy.

I loved it.

I’m listing this story on my “100 Shots of Short” reading challenge list.