Short Story Friday: Greyhound by Jean Ryan
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Survival Skills: Stories by Jean Ryan is a slim volume, but each of the stories packs a visual and analytical punch as she draws parallels between what it means to be human and the behaviors found in nature. While I'm still absorbing these stories at a slow pace, I wanted to share a bit about the short story, "Greyhound." The narrator seeks out a gift to cheer up her significant other, and finds herself at a greyhound rescue. These dogs are retired from dog racing after just a few years and mostly due to injury, but Clara's Gift is special because she chose to stop running at a young age. While she is like the other greyhounds, shying away from human touch and affection at first, there is a certain intelligence in her eyes. She meets her new owner, Holly, and the home they will all share, but coaxing does not win the dog over. Ryan paints a cohesive picture of this new family and its tentative steps around one another, but she also draws parallels between Holly and the dog -- both wounded and unsure -- and how they need to be approached to come out of their shells.
"...she rarely imparts information about herself; most of what I know about her I've had to piece together. If she has fallen short of her goals, if she yearns for something more than me and this house we're constantly mending, she doesn't burden me with it." (page 10)
Wounded animals generally have a couple of base reactions -- lash out or retreat -- and in the case of "Greyhound," retreating seems to be the best option. While the narrator enjoys fixing things, like the house, there are some things that cannot be fixed, but must heal on their own. The experience with the new dog teaches her to back away, to patiently wait on the sidelines, something that she's clearly not accustomed to doing. Even her role as a homeopathic seller imparts to the reader her desire to fix things, to offer comfort to others, and to provide aid where needed, even if it isn't. Ryan's subtle style builds with each page of this story, and her links between nature and humanity become stronger with each connection. "Greyhound" is just one powerful story, and I look forward to finishing this collection. What are your thoughts on short stories? Do you find them as powerful as novels?
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About the Author: Jean Ryan, a native Vermonter, lives in Napa, California. A horticultural enthusiast and chef of many years, Jean's writing has always been her favorite pursuit. Her stories and essays have appeared in a variety of journals, including Other Voices, Pleiades, The Summerset Review, The Massachusetts Review, The Blue Lake Review, Damselfly, and Earthspeak. Nominated twice for a Pushcart Prize, she has also published a novel, Lost Sister. Visit her Website.