Most Accidents Occur in the Home: Stories
| dc.contributor.author | Bird, Tracy | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2019-09-18T15:39:52Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2019-09-18T15:39:52Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2019-06-13 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Most Accidents Occur in the Home is a collection of a dozen loosely linked stories that focus on family life and the damage we do to those who are closest to us, intentionally and unintentionally. In a dark, realistic style, stories are, in turns, hopeless and hopeful, devastating and humorous. Links between stories are predominantly implicit and thematic, and include motherhood, gender, friendship, violence, money, obligation, the parent/child bond, revenge, and the power of love to heal. Recurring motifs, including dogs, music, and pop-culture references, strengthen the ties between the stories and anchor them in time and place. In settings as varied as the U.S./Mexico border, Salt Lake City, Utah, and the coast of Virginia, and ranging in time from 1944 to the present day, the characters in these stories grapple with violence and redemption, exile and homecoming, abandonment and forgiveness. In a long-term care facility, a character contemplates the right reasons to commit murder. A middle-aged woman weighs the burden of her mother’s declining health. A grandmother gifts her small granddaughter an image to strengthen and guide her in the future. A jealous mother callously teaches her child racism. An unthinking girl makes a decision that will change a friend’s life forever. Mothers commit acts of great selfishness and selfless love. Children navigate the world without guidance. Sibling bonds are non-existent. Parents come and go with casual disregard. Violence—both subtle and direct—suffuses all of these relationships and ultimately raises the question: What is the meaning of family? | en_US |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11868/814 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_US | en_US |
| dc.publisher | MFA in Creative Writing, The University of Tampa | en_US |
| dc.subject | Short stories | en_US |
| dc.subject | Violence | en_US |
| dc.title | Most Accidents Occur in the Home: Stories | en_US |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_US |
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