The Pinch of the Crab: and other stories

Collection of ten stories exploring personal crises embedded in the social conflicts of island life in Puerto Rico, tensions aggravated by natural and human-created disasters. A small boy feels sad and 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 shakes their home. When her estranged husband comes to return their pet Golden Retriever, a woman hesitates before opening the door. A man tells his wife that he has given large sums to a high official in the government department that awarded his firm a contract, but not to worry, he’s doing everything by the book. A journalist investigating the murder of a pro-independence leader suspects that the CIA is after him. 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truths about her beloved father.During the long aftermath of Hurricane Maria, when vistas of lush green foliage had been replaced by scenes of fallen branches and dangling electric cables, the author felt as disoriented as the little boy bitten by a crab. It was then that the idea of a collection of stories exploring personal responses to the crises that plague our society took shape.The author, Barbara Southard, has been writing short stories and historical novels since retiring from the University of Puerto Rico where she taught history. Her stories have been published in Poui, Calabash, Cerebration, and The Journal of Caribbean Literatures.