Winesburg, Ohio

Winesburg, Ohio
by Sherwood Anderson
read: 2012
Modern Library #24

"Clyde was born in an unincorporated town in Northeast Ohio to a woman who spent her childhood dreaming of marriage only to find the reality was a constraining sadness lurking beneath the surface, and to a man whose dreams of moving to a big East coast city were dashed by Clyde's birth.  The family moved to Winesburg when Clyde was eight, and he became fast friends with Nell, the girl next door, who had been rendered mute by an illness she contracted in infancy.  As they got older, she leaned on him to help her communicate, as they spent so much time together that he could tell what she was thinking by a facial expression, a posture, a tilt of her head, even a breath.

"When Clyde got older he received a letter from a estranged uncle who had a business in New York City, inviting Clyde to apprentice at his shop.  He told Nell excitedly of his opportunity, and the look she gave him was not one he recognized.  He did not yet realize the underlying emotion or that he felt the same way.

"After several months in New York, during which the frequency of their letters diminished, Clyde had occasion to return to Winesburg.  He got off the train in the town depot, wearing a hat and shoes he had acquired with his first paycheck.  They did not quite fit.  He stopped by Nell's home and was about to knock when he saw her through the window.  She was sitting in a rocking chair, knitting.  She looked the same as when he had last seen her except for a new weariness around the eyes.  She sighed, and Clyde saw the rising and falling of her chest and suddenly understood the look she had given him before he left.  A lump formed in his throat.  Clyde did not knock; he walked on and left her there, knitting and saying nothing to herself or anyone.  He never saw Nell again."

Sherwood Anderson didn't write the above; I did.  But if you like that story and you want to read like 22 more versions of it, you should read Winesburg, Ohio.