These ten short stories, set in Puerto Rico, delve into personal crises in the context of social challenges posed by high divorce rates, political corruption, domestic violence and excessive use of force by law enforcement. A small boy feels bewildered when the tiny crab he befriended on the beach pinches him, and his confusion deepens after witnessing the violent arrest of a teenager. A mother is awakened in the middle of the night by a phone call from her son who has been jailed for possession of marijuana. A young girl begs her father not to leave after a huge earthquake. A man tells his wife that he has given large sums to an official in the same government department that awarded his firm a contract, but not to worry, he's doing everything by the book. An American exchange student's announcement of her engagement to a Puerto Rican who shares her passion for magic realism provokes the revelation of devastating truths about her beloved father. When her estranged husband comes to return their pet dog after Hurricane Maria, a woman hesitates before opening the door.
Maria S. Rodriguez
5.0 out of 5 stars
From a small place, big emotions
Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2022
In each compelling story about challenges to human composure, Southard demonstrates polished skill at communicating the complexity of the decisions her characters have to make. She gives them no easy way out, and I found myself responding with empathy, compassion, and most of all, self-identification. Every story made me sit back and ponder: What would I do in the same situation? I'm sure there's more to them, things I missed in the first reading, so I'll be going back to them often, enjoying the nuances that make these characters come alive.
Marion
5.0 out of 5 stars These are wonderful, absorbing stories!
Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2022
These stories address difficult issues—such as loss, infidelity, domestic abuse, crime, and political and economic differences—with sensitivity, nuance, and a gentle hand. The characters span the gamut; they include young children, young men, fathers, mothers, and a memorable stepmother, and the voice of each character is authentic. The endings are not predictable, and when they leave something to the imagination they provide food for thought rather than frustration. And, whether you live in Puerto Rico or have never visited it, you will hear in these stories the rhythm and beauty, as well as the contradictions and politics, of that unique island. I cannot recommend this book enough.
The Book of Betrayals
Book review of Barbara Southard’s
The Pinch of the Crab
by Carmen Dolores Hernández,
El Nuevo Día, February 13, 2022
A married woman relives a terrible incident of her youth that her parents have chosen to ignore; a young woman discovers the true nature of the father who brought her up with love; a little boy faces violence – from animals, in the social environment, and that which lurks in the family – without really understanding what is happening; parents blame their son’s friend for corrupting him when the truth is quite the opposite.
The ten stories in this book all revolve around betrayals. Especially painful betrayals that take place in the bosom of families that seem to be, if not happy, at least more or less normal. What provokes conflict is a change of perspective caused by failure to meet the usual expectations: parents who are not really protective; mothers who don’t turn out to be so dedicated: the bitter discovery that love is not as enduring or as absolute as expected. The flaw – the crack in the polished surface of conventional expectations – has been there from the beginning, invisible to trusting eyes.
The story titled “Heavy Downpour” departs somewhat from this pattern. In this story, it is not the family or one of its members that betrays expectations of justice, but rather society itself that persecutes those who try to put justice into practice, threatening the established order by doing so. The character who appears in the house of a prosperous American housewife living in Puerto Rico, a friend from her rebellious youth, seems to present a threat to her and to the community, but that perception is erroneous. It is the political structure that betrays expectations of equity, justice and democracy. The issue is the political situation of Puerto Rico, apparently stable, although any challenge to this stability gives rise to institutional violence.
Southard writes in simple, straightforward English. Her style does not draw attention in and of itself; rather, it serves as a filter that allows us to “read” not only the significance of the words but the intentions that hide behind them that are not immediately apparent to the interlocutors within the stories. Moreover, she is good at handling premonitions, and also surprises, as in the story Fallen Branches, in which the action seems to point in one direction, but culminates in an unexpectedly explosive outcome.
Although Southard has written various history books, including “Senderos para un sueño. Geografía e historia de Estados Unidos de América” (Paths toward a Dream: Geography and History of the United States of America, 2000), with this volume of short stories she has joined the long list of American writers of fiction who have used Puerto Rico as a setting, or as the motivation for their writing, a list that includes Hunter S. Thompson and Robert Friedman.
(Translated from the original in Spanish with permission from the author)
