cover image Whistling and Other Stories

Whistling and Other Stories

Myra Goldberg. Zoland Books, $19.95 (182pp) ISBN 978-0-944072-26-4

These evocative contemporary tales look keenly at damaged relationships, yet some contain enough hope to close on notes of affirmation. Goldberg uses irony and ambiguity effectively, especially in the several instances when one narrative encapsulates another. In ``Whistling,'' Laura tells the story of her free-spirited friends Pru and John to exact a commitment from her ambivalent lover. The narrator of ``Story'' invents the characters of Marilyn and Marvin, who are tentatively forming a relationship, but they appear also to exist in her actual life. Some tales are truly moving. In ``Country Music,'' a woman on the verge of a promising career is shattered when she inadvertently causes a young black boy's death. ``Gifts'' brings gentle warmth to the familar subject of a devoted, self-effacing mother and her guilt-ridden daughter. Goldberg sets her stories, many of which originally appeared in Ploughshares and other literary reviews, against an earthy New York City backdrop with a strong Jewish flavor. She has captured some unique voices with wit, insight and compassion. (Apr.)