CHEATING AT CANASTA: Stories
William Trevor
Viking
Fiction/Short Stories
ISBN: 9780670018376

This latest offering by prolific author William Trevor contains a dozen short stories. The Los Angeles Times compares his stories to those of James Joyce and Alice Munro. His writing is economical, compact and full of nuance. He provides some details as to what is occurring, but much is left to the reader’s imagination to determine an actual outcome; he uses subtlety quite effectively. Trevor’s themes of deception, guilt, loss, regret, forgiveness and other such topics are crafted around entirely believable characters and their sometimes tenuous relationships.

The title story is about promises made and promises kept. Mallory and Julia had always dined at Harry’s Bar when they traveled to Venice. Julia, who suffered from memory loss, extracted a promise from him to return there alone after she was gone. Trevor hints at Alzheimer’s by the symptoms he provides but leaves her actual diagnosis to the reader’s imagination. Mallory visited Julia at her place of confinement, and they attempted to play canasta as they had so many times over their years together. Though Julia could not even hold on to her cards, Mallory always made sure Julia won the game because it made her happy. Mallory is dining by himself at Harry’s Bar in Venice and feels rather foolish being there just to fulfill a promise made to Julia four years previously. While eating his meal and feeling quite awkward being alone, Mallory overhears a quarrel between two other diners, and he imagines the discussion he and Julia might have had about that. As the couple prepares to leave the restaurant, Mallory engages these complete strangers in conversation.

In “An Afternoon” 15-year old Jasmin meets a 30-something fellow with whom she recently had become acquainted on a chat line. The stranger takes her to McDonald’s for coffee, then to an establishment called The Gold Mine where he supplies her with a little cash to play the slot machines. He wins a prize for her --- a cheap necklace from a machine. They walk around a bit, and Clive (by now he has supplied a name, though not his actual name) offers her some alcohol. The afternoon continues on with Jasmin agreeing to go back to his place. By now it is apparent that Clive is the type of stranger all mothers warn their daughters about. The tone of the story, an undercurrent of possible danger, is quite effective.

In “Men of Ireland” the topic is guilt. The question is who is the guilty party and why. A down-and-out drifter named Donal Prunty returns home to Ireland after an absence of 23 years. While hitchiking he tries unsuccessfully to panhandle a kindly truck driver. At the mere mention of money the driver stops the truck and lets Prunty out. When Donal shows up at the rectory the next day, the old priest, Father Meade, remembers him and is none too happy to see him again. Donal hints at what the reader must assume is the sexual molestation of him when he was an altar boy. The old cleric is astounded by Donal’s accusations. Why, then, does he give in and pay Donal? Is it hush money, charitable money, or money to make him leave?

Nine other stories add more twists and turns to the excellent writing. In “At Olivehill” a once-prosperous family struggles to retain their dignity and standing in the community as they are forced to sacrifice much of their land for what they believe to be a financially secure future. In “The Dressmaker’s Child” a young mechanic hits and kills a young retarded girl. In exchange for her silence, the mechanic is blackmailed into an unsavory alliance with the child’s unscrupulous mother.

William Trevor understands human nature and is able to breathe life into his characters. This collection of short stories would make an excellent subject for a book club discussion.

   --- Reviewed by Carole Turner

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