“In the Fall”
A simple story disguising complex thematic relationships, “The Fall” is ostensibly about the painful decision by a family to sell a beloved horse who has grown too old to afford to keep. The author keeps the subtext buried deep within the sub traversing a course almost unnoticed beneath the context of the narrative. Suffice to say, this is more than a story about an old horse.
“The Tuning of Perfection”
Nearing 80, the protagonist of this story also learns some things about life as a result of the decision to sell a horse. Unlike that in the above story, the horse here is a healthy young mare. Perfect for breeding, the old man is horrified to learn what her true fate will be: producing birth control medication for humans at the cost of a constant supply of foals which will simply be disposed of. And yet, that is not the plot of the story which actually revolves around the old man’s stubborn decision to remain adamant about not violating the purity of traditional songs in order to suit the requirements of a TV talent contest. The rest of the family singing under his tutelage are not quite so concerned with purity. Times are changing and the old man of vision doesn’t like what he sees.
“The Golden Gift of Grey”
Another farm, another family, another region of the world: this time deep in the heartland of Indiana by way of coal country in Kentucky. After the move, the family begins rebelling which the protective father views as a person rejection of everything he represents. Things reach a boil when teenage son Jesse earns money playing pool while skipping school. Naturally, his parents do not see this as cool. Suffice to say that things get even worse when Jesse makes an even worse decision regarding his filthy lucre.
“The Vastness of the Dark”
Another teenage son, James—first born of seven kids—has decided on his 18th birthday to leave behind Cape Breton. And why not? The story details the darkness and despair awaiting children born into a coal mining town in which their father and probably grandfather and even great-grandfather toiled. His naïve assumption that simply leaving town is tantamount to an escape comes under suspicion when he meets up with a traveling salesman who illuminates some truths that must be bitterly swallowed.
“The Return”
A pattern may begin to take shape: “The Return” is about conflict arising from the generation gap. A not-quite-teenage son gets the chance to visit the town where his father grew up. While the father sees great beauty in Cape Breton, his wife does not. To her, its status as mining town represents a step back from the lawyer her husband became by leaving.
“The Boat”
Another family story: the mother is a daughter of fishermen and sees this as not a job or career, but a calling. The son was preceded by daughters who disappointed their mother greatly by eschewing the town’s supply of strong, many fishermen in favor of what she views as emasculated and effeminate alternatives. And so the son becomes her one hope for passing on the tradition of her family.
“Winter Dog”
In this entry on MacLeod’s recurring theme of exploring relationships through the loss of a loved animal, the beast is a dog and the end is transactional, but sociological. Even though the title character had literally saved the life a couple of years before, he recognizes the greater social good of killing an animal now deemed too dangerous a threat to others in the community.
“As Birds Bring Forth the Sun”
Canine aggression also plays a part in this story, but one quite different from that which takes place in the above story. This story verges outward from MacLeod’s comfort zone of animal sacrifice to wade into thematically deeper waters of the possibility for the existence of preternatural resurrection of ritual superstition.
