Dinner along the Amazon
I enjoyed these stories, although occasionally I felt that I was missing something that was obliquely expressed. Still, it's a merit in a short story if you have to put the book down after you finish it and think hard about it for a few minutes instead of just ploughing on.That may be why my favourite of the bunch, entitled "Losers, Finders, Strangers at the Door" is not only one of the shortest but one of the most straightforward. Clues are dropped throughout an awkward conversation, and eventually it becomes clear that the woman in the house is meeting and welcoming in (although welcoming may be a bit strong) her husband's gay lover.
Findley specializes in characters who are bizarre and unpredictable; he makes you pay attention to their slightest gestures and utterances as you try to figure them out. I like that.
