Cathedral
Raymond Carver · 1983
Carver's late masterpiece. His earlier work was almost aggressively spare, but Cathedral opens up; there is more warmth, more willingness to let characters transform. The title story is one of the most perfect stories in American literature.
The case against
Same ashtray, same gin, same dying marriage, twelve times over; Carver's furniture barely changes between stories, and once you notice the late-period warmth arriving on schedule (the blind man, the baker, the peacock) the epiphanies start to feel administered rather than earned. A Small, Good Thing leans on a dead child harder than its restraint pretends.
Short Stories · the Pro canon
The case for it and the rest of the canon open with Pro.
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