What: Julie Hecht's collection of linked stories deal primarily with the quotidian details of modern life, as seen through the eyes of a clever, neurotic narrator. We buzz in and around artifacts of the progressive affluent --- organic vegetables, hairpieces, fertility clinics --- and the worries they trigger.
Opening lines: "Dear Elizabeth: Although we haven't spoken in more than a year (I believe it was before last Christmas when you stopped calling me and refused to tell me why), I feel I should warn you about Mr. Kropstadt --- the man who owns Osborn's Opticians, on Park Avenue.
I was there last December, about a year ago, and his behavior and demeanor convinced me that he is definitely a Nazi, was a Nazi (age is right for Hitler Youth), is the son of Nazis, or is at least a Nazi sympathizer."
Representative quote: "I had to describe my project by telephone to a secretary who sounded like Little Richard. As I was telling her my plans she suddenly said, 'Oooh!' I was surprised that she was impressed. Then she said, 'Oooh! oooh! oooh!' and added, 'The reason I'm saying 'oooh' like that is because a big hornet just flew in the window.'"
Connection to previous Wreckage: Do the Windows Open? was Hecht's first collection of stories, but not her last. She also wrote Happy Trails to You (Rec. #6).
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