Is This An Overview?
A collection of short stories about choices that need to be made.  Each story reflects the complexity of values and identities.  Choices that challenge the values of the character.  Challenge the character’s loyalty and belonging.  Choices that are about change.  Each choice is bound in conflict, a personal dilemma that effects who the person is, wants to become, or has no choice but to be.  In each story, the character is both part of and exiled from the people or places they love.  Their interactions indicate their struggle to reconcile the opposing demands on who they are.  The characters come from different backgrounds, have different lives, and share their different experiences.  The stories are a reflection of the author’s political values, given rise due to people’s conditions.  

Caveats?
The writing quality of the stories is mixed.  The stories are short, therefore have limited details.  But, what the stories have is depth of meaning.  The stories raise valuable questions about values.

Review for: The Adulterous Wife:
Janine and Janine’s husband Marcel are traveling to sell Marcel’s fabrics directly to a community.  A story told from the perspective of Janine.  During their travel, Janine reflects on what has become of Janine’s life.  Although Janine was resistant to the trip, Janine’s values become manifest based on what Janine sees.  Janine’s and Marcel’s wants have become to diverge, with Janine wanting a more traditional life.  Janine and Marcel have different ancestry as Janine is Arabic while Marcel’s predecessors came from France, which can cause some of Marcel’s remarks to create a conflict between who Janine is and willing to be with Marcel.  Janine makes choices that test Janine’s faith.  How will Janine reconcile Janine’s roots and Marcel?  

Review for The Renegade, or A Confused Mind:
This story is told from the thoughts of the narrator, whose tongue had been cut out due to a betrayal.  Written in a manner to indicate that something is wrong with the narrator.  Something wrong with how the narrator thinks.  The narrator wants vengeance, and recounts what the vengeance was for and how a situation enabled the narrator to take vengeance.  The narrator’s loyalty is constantly being tested, and the narrator betrays.  The narrator was a missionary, who had been turned through torture.  Wanting vengeance against those associated with prior beliefs.  But taking vengeance requires another betrayal.  Who will the narrator betray?

Review for The Voiceless:
Yvars must work hard for there are those who depend on Yvars.  But the barrel making business is going through economic trouble.  Yvars considers changing professions, but does not want to give up on a mastered profession.  The employees, which include Yvars, at the barrel making business go on strike.  But the strike fails.  They must go back to work, without any changes to the employee’s economic situation.  But change does happen.  They lose their dignity.  The employees have worked at the business for a long time, and the employer is considered decent.  The employer wants friendly interactions, to reconcile, but reconciliation is not forthcoming.  How will Yvars resolve the conflicts?

Review of The Guest:
Daru is a schoolteacher who would prefer not to take sides in a conflict.  A prisoner is brought to Daru with orders that Daru must transport the prisoner.  But participating in turning in the prisoner would mean taking a side.  While the prisoner is a guest of Daru, the prisoner has many opportunities to escape.  Which Daru would welcome.  But the prisoner does not escape.  Any choice Daru makes about the prisoner, has ramifications about what community Daru will be a part of and what community will be a threat.  Daru is with the communities, but feels exiled from the communities.  Maybe there is a way that Daru can find to keep neutrality.  What should Daru do?  

Review of Jonas, or The Artist at Work:
Jonas’s life has been bound by a belief in luck, that nothing was through merit.  And Jonas has been very lucky in life.  Reflecting how Jonas’s situation came to be, Jonas sees every problem as having given Jonas a favorable situation.  Misfortune with parents earned Jonas a devoted friend, and a job in publishing at which Jonas dabbled in painting.  Painting became a passion that occupied all of Jonas’s attention until an accident that prevented Jonas from plaiting for a time.  As Jonas’s attention was not preoccupied with painting while healing, Jonas was able to notice Louise who would become Jonas’s wife.  Louise is very industrious and would enable Jonas to spend Jonas’s days painting, which eventually enabled Jonas’s work to be discovered.  But as Jonas’s fame rose, Jonas’s attention becomes more divided.  People wanted to talk to Jonas.  Disciples wanted to teach Jonas.  Letters needed to be replied to.  With so much attention being taken, Jonas’s work suffers, friends and family are neglected.  Jonas tries to please everyone, but there is not much Jonas can do with limited time and energy.  How will Jonas decide how to spend attention? 

Review of The Growing Stone:
D’Arrast is a French engineer in Brazil for a project, which would prevent flooding and provide the poor community with jobs.  For what the d’Arrast is going to do for the community, d’Arrast is received with gratitude and appreciation by the elite.  But d’Arrast is uncomfortable being deferred to.  While d’Arrast visits the locals, d’Arrast becomes immersed in the community.  Finding belonging with them.  D’Arrast meets a cook who during a life-threatening situation made a promise that should the cook survive, the cook would carry a heavy stone.  The night before the cook needed to carry the stone, there was a celebration.  The cook wanted d’Arrast to come to the celebration, in part to make sure the cook left early.  Otherwise the cook would not be able to carry out the promise.  But at the celebration, the cook did not want to leave.  This made carrying the stone a further struggle for the cook, who could not finish carrying the stone to its destination.  D’Arrast seeks to help the cook.  But, the cook belongs to a different community than those who have been deferring to d’Arrast.  What should d’Arrast do?