[Otis is an elevator.]
James spoke candidly and soberly to Otis, the way women speak to diaries. Often, as he sat and spoke, he took from his pocket the pair of opal earrings that were always on his person. He rubbed these opals between his thumb and forefinger as if they were rabbit's feet or some other talisman of fortune. Whether all this was helping him or not didn't concern James. He simply obeyed the impulse to speak to Otis every night the way some people drink alcohol or seek out chocolate or slice sharp metal across their wrists.
- David Schickler, "Telling it All to Otis," Kissing in Manhattan
- David Schickler, "Telling it All to Otis," Kissing in Manhattan
posted by pamela at 1:16 AM
2 Comments:
You have such a good sense of language. Does his whole book border on perfection like this? I'm so captivated.
The book isn't perfect, but overall lovely. It's a collection of linked stories - though the stories are (mostly) separate, someone from each story lives in a New York building called The Preemption. And, in the end, the characters converge.
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