From the desk of Steve Mortell
One of the magical things about reading is that it has the ability to take your imagination through a wide spectrum of human emotion. This phenomenon can actually trigger the reader to feel the emotions being evoked from that story, if only for a moment.
This week' s short story Tuesday will showcase a rather sad tale written by Bharati Mukherje which is titled “The Management of Grief”. I originally stumbled upon this gem of a story while reading an anthology named “Charlie Chan Is Dead 2”. This unique anthology is comprised of various short stories from prominent Asian American authors that deal with subject matters from everything from life, love, and death. “Charlie Chan is Dead 2” is an awesome read for anyone who is a fan of the short story.
“The Management of Grief” by Bharati Mukherje handles the heartbreaking reality of losing numerous family members in a single instant. Revolving around a terrorist attack that crashes a passenger air-plane. Shaila is a wife and a mother of two who is unable to take a vacation with her sons and husband due to work. Unfortunately a simple weekend away turns tragic when Shaila's loved ones’ plane crashes with no survivors. The tale mainly deals with how Shaila deals with the grief of such a dramatic loss. The narrative of this story truly touches it’s readers in a unique manner. For the narrator to verbally describe the feeling of grief like an impossible task, yet Bharati Mukharje does a sublime job in evoking these strong emotions from her audience. The loss of one's family member is simply unimaginable and for anyone who has ever lost someone close to them they understand the pain that is involved. The pain that Shaila experiences is that much greater having lost her entire family. The story is in and of itself a powerful emotional roller-coaster
“Chilling. Shocked. Powerful prose that shakes the soul leaving one numb.”~ Goodreads.com
Although there isn’t much of a plot twist, this short story is defiantly worth the read. The story deals with a traumatic subject matter and how life continues to progress on, long after loved ones are lost. Aside from tragedy there are undertones of racial profiling and other social issues that also bring this story vibrantly to life. So if your looking for a great short story to pass your time, check out “The Management of Grief” by Bharati Mukherje.