re:mote voices

although we had hardly been intimate - had barely touched - my skin and sheets, my pillows and my brain smelt of her. the whole matress was roaring beneath me with the rhythm of her walk and i couldn't sleep.
-original bliss: the administration of justice - a.l. kennedy
-so far i have read five of the 11 stories in kennedy's original bliss, this one "the administration of justice" has been the most striking and enjoyable so far. i find this kind of short fiction frustrating for the most part, the presentation of snap shots. shots which leave too much unsaid, so that we get sucked into that moment, only to find that its done before we are ready to be done with it. in some cases though the start to end fits, or something within the process makes everything make sense. this especially true with this piece, like the rest of the stories here this one is about a man and a woman. she barely features in the narrative, but his words paint the space around her, so that she becomes visible. while at the same time he attempts to white wash over himself, to erase all the things about him which might chase her away. on reflection this is one of these pieces that just kind of ends, but enough of the picture has been put in place that the picture makes sense regardless.