Re: JCO: new yorker story

Hi, Randy and all.  It's great to be back in the group.  (Will someone please confirm that this message got into the mix today?)  Aside from the real-life inspiration behind "Landfill," who all feels enough consternation to threaten lawsuits,etc. I'd like to discuss "Landfill" as a work of fiction and how it engages the reader's sympathy for some rather unsympathetic people.  The way the mother is referred to as "Mrs. Campos" reminds me of the matronly protagonist in the story "Is Laughter Contagious" in the collection  WILL YOU ALWAYS LOVE ME?  She's referred to as "Mrs. D."  Both women are dangerously unaware of how vulnerable they are despite their marriage to prosperous husbands: they both have young sons who are drifting into serious trouble. The stories' ironic tones do not preclude sympathy toward women who might otherwise be dismissed as clueless "rich bitches" with spoiled rotten kids.

Cyrano 

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