"Widow: Stories," by Michelle Latiolais

Not only the title story but many of the other stories in Michelle Latiolais' "Widow: Stories" (Bellevue Literary Press, 2011) are about widowhood or some other type of loss. Some of the stories are desperately sad, describing the raw pain of losing someone who has been an essential part of one's life. The author -- and her narrators -- are not afraid to talk about their feelings, their experiences, their secrets, their shame, their sexuality, their fears, the ways they "get through," and more. The stories show the various ways that people -- in this case, usually women -- respond to or act out their pain. For example, one woman can't eat; another hoards provisions, especially food. The stories also include some very unusual topics, such as one called "Gut" about a woman who goes to Africa to help her scientist husband test out the diet of chimpanzees by living on such a diet herself. Dogs, teacups, gardens, oysters, and cakes are some of the other topics. A few stories -- especially the very short ones -- seem less involving and less good than the others. Overall, the stories are beautifully written and evocative, but very sad. I can't say I "enjoyed" them, and in fact some of them made me uncomfortable. But perhaps that is a wimpy response on my part. Two of the powerful stories in "Widow" -- "Caduceus" and "Place" -- were nominated for the Pushcart Prize; the one I liked best -- and one of the saddest -- was the title story, "Widow."