Putting mrs dawson back together

From putting mrs dawson back together: “yes, go on … ann? are you there? ann? … i think you have more to say, ann.” “no … i … just that you are sitting there like a stone and a purple one that is so stuck to the window that the whole room is turning purple and you don’t even notice it…” “tell me, have you had any dreams lately?” “i don’t dream.” “everyone dreams.” “not me. no, wait. i did have one last night.” “and what was that?” “a head fell off a body and rolled down a hill into flames.” “a pretty angry dream.” “i’m not angry.” “i know. your dream is angry. perhaps you need a rest.” this collection of four stories considers emotional fragility. sometimes fragility is out in the open. other times it is buried or camouflaged. the first of the stories is the title story, “putting mrs dawson back together.” it follows a woman who has had a complete mental collapse triggered by the imminent death of a close friend. just as mrs dawson receives joyful news that she wants to share with her friend, she is afraid of disrespecting her friend’s pain, and this weighs heavily on her. unable to cope with his wife’s illness, mr dawson settles her into a mental hospital, where she encounters a snoring roommate. this forces mrs dawson to escape the room and hide where the nurses can’t find her. the story “letters” follows the one-sided correspondence of a woman who thinks she is married to the husband of another woman. the letters interest the real wife because they give brief reviews of movies, which the writer says her so-called husband should see. the real wife consults the letters before heading out to the movies. in “a winter visit,” an old friend arrives unannounced, bringing her husband and two children. the friend discusses her suicide attempt, which obviously didn’t succeed. “the painter” is working inside a woman’s house on a ladder. while she is outside dealing with a fallen tree, she hears sobbing from inside the house. the painter says his wife just called and wants a divorce.