Eva Luna

Eva Luna

He knelt beside me. “What’s the matter?” “I’m afraid?” “Of what?” “Of the sounds, of this darkness, of evil spirits, of snakes and bugs, of the soldiers, of what we’re going to do Saturday-that we’ll all be killed …” “I’m afraid, too, but I wouldn’t miss this for...
Invisible Man

Invisible Man

“Come in,” I said. The door opened slowly. A group of youth members crowded forward, their faces a question. The girls were crying. “Is it true?” they said. “That he is dead? Yes,” I said, looking among them. “Yes.”...
The Madonna of the Sea

The Madonna of the Sea

There is a Madonna at the bottom of the crystalline waters off the coast of Lampedusa, Italy, standing guard near a gap where two rocks curve in an unfinished embrace. Dead leaves and fish float above her like drifting feathers, shimmering in the swatch of sunlight...
French Exit

French Exit

“I’ve just been out riding my bicycle,” Malcolm said. “What bicycle?” “Frances bought me one for Christmas.” “That’s sad. Where are you?” “Next to the canal. Want to know what I’m looking at?” “Not really. All right.” “Right in front of me there’s a boatload of...
Brit(ish)

Brit(ish)

In the 1770s, a talented black man – born a slave, mid-Atlantic, on a ship – whose friends included the artist Thomas Gainsborough, the writer Samuel Johnson, and the Duke and Duchess of Montagu, set up a gro- cery store on King Charles Street. Ignatius Sancho’s...