"The Falls"

22 May 2022: "Good God, but life could be less than easy, not that he was unaware that it could certainly be a lot worse, but to go about in such a state, pulse high, face red, worried sick that someone would notice how nervous one was, was certainly less than ideal, and he felt sure that his body was secreting all kinds of harmful chemicals and that the more he worried about the harmful chemicals the faster they were pouring out of wherever it was they came from." --George Saunders, "The Falls"

Listened to this story on The New Yorker Fiction Podcast today while I cleaned the kitchen. I found it quite moving and felt myself relating to Morse and his inner-dialogue. The ending--which Will Mackin and Deborah Treisman say some really smart things about--has been on my mind all day.