I Am Not Hamlet

I wanted to quote at length some passages from Berry's Fidelity , the title story of his fine collection of five short stories, but dadgumitall, I didn't highlight any of them and I can't find them. Essentially the story concerns an old man's death and the act of love that his son performs. Additionally, it contains some of Berry's thoughts on the medical establishment and the (joyful) burdens of community. I had posted previously about another story, but I think that four out of the five stories are simply wonderful and it would behoove you to find this collection and read it.

I'm currently reading Wendell Berry's collection of short stories, Fidelity , and I have to say is there anything this man can't write? Drama, perhaps? Anyway, I'm into the second story, but not enough to comment on it; so I'll talk briefly about the first one, "Pray Without Ceasing." As always the story is set in Berry's fictional Port William, Kentucky and we are introduced to many characters and families that Berry has developed further in his novels. The story revolves around a young man trying to understand his great-grandfather who was murdered before he was born. Ben Feltner was shot dead by his friend, Thad Coulter. His grandmother relates the story to the great-grandson and she says, "People sometimes talk of God's love as if it's a pleasant thing. But it is terrible, in a way. Think of all it includes. It included Thad Coulter, drunk and mean and foolish, before he killed Mr. Feltner, and it included him afterwards....