"The Red Bow" by George Saunders

Let me just say that George Saunders' "The Red Bow" has nothing whatsoever to do with Christmas.

Instead, it is a brilliant story exploring human nature in the face of fear, grief, crisis and even self-worthlessness. It is also an animal story, a very sad animal story. But, what I like most about this story is the narrator's voice--the casual dialect and the candid storytelling in the midst of his pronounced grief--as well as the brilliant way it all unravels.

Here's a little bit, and a little bit more, and a little bit more of "The Red Bow" from Esquire.

George Saunders