story: “And How Much of These Hills Is Gold”

author: C Pam Zhang

year: 2017

where: before work at work

note: This is a short story reworking of the first chapter of the forthcoming novel of the same name. Also, the portion about how the brother may ultimately inherit his father’s character reminds me of the father and son in The Night Tiger.

a line: “Sam’s shadow licks back at Lucy’s bare toes; in Sam’s mind the shadow is the true height, the body a temporary inconvenience. When I’m sheriff, Sam says. When I’m a wrangler. More recently: When I’m a famous outlaw. When I’m grown. Young enough to think desire alone shapes the world.’”

theme(s): Death, Frontier, Survival