This story reminds me that I have always been and still am afraid of giving the key to our house to someone when going on a trip! Most of the time, the person who takes the key gets involved in things in people's private lives that if we knew, we would be shocked! From taking unnecessary things from closets and family albums to wearing clothes and going out with them, and the disappearance or decrease of some items, and the drying up of the potted flowers that were supposed to be watered, and the illness of the pet that was supposed to be properly fed, and so on.

It is really concerning and makes one hesitant to trust others with such important responsibilities. We often worry about the safety and well-being of our belongings and our home environment when we are away. It is essential to carefully choose the person we give the key to and make sure they are reliable and trustworthy.

Sometimes, it might even be better to find alternative solutions, such as asking a neighbor or a professional house-sitting service to take care of our home while we are gone. This way, we can have more peace of mind and enjoy our trip without constantly worrying about what might be happening at home.

This collection is an absolute behemoth. It weighs a whole lot more than I initially anticipated: a whopping over 500 pages! And it contains a staggering 37 stories!

It's not just a compilation of his greatest hits. Instead, the stories cover his entire career, with a healthy mix of three-star and five-star tales.

It's truly astonishing how well these stories have aged and how many of the characters are alcoholics. There are probably close to a dozen five-star stories in this collection, and it really starts to gain momentum about halfway through.

Some of my personal favorites include "Neighbors," "Gazebo," "Why Don't You Dance," "Where I'm Calling From," "Chef's House," "Fever," "Cathedral," "A Small Good Thing" (which almost brought me to tears!), and "Elephant."

I'm extremely happy to have crossed Carver off my list of short story titans. This collection is a must-read for any fan of short fiction.

Raymond Carver's singular universe, crafted through a constellation of broken and desperate lives that he treats with unashamed humanity, is exquisitely captured in this collection. It served as an outstanding introduction to Carver for me, with nearly 40 stories presented in the order of their publication, including several previously unpublished ones.

Gordon Lish's significant presence in the mythology of Carverworld is also evident here. The chronological arrangement of the stories showcases Carver's growth as a writer throughout his career and the notable change that occurred once he was liberated from Lish's heavy editorial influence. The concise, intense prose of early Carver gives way to the emotive, cumbersome, and ultimately transcendent work of his later years. As a reader, I cherish it all, appreciate what Lish imparted to Carver's stories, and am grateful that Carver had the courage to break free from Lish.

A couple of months after this reading experience, "A Small, Good Thing" still lingers in my mind. It's a story that combines every element of Carver's writing repertoire. A boy is struck by a car on his birthday and lapses into a coma-like state. In their emotional turmoil, his parents forget about the cake they ordered for his birthday party. The baker, unaware of the accident, repeatedly calls the parents with menacing messages, intensifying the terror in the parents' turmoil. When Scotty dies and his mother realizes who has been calling, she decides to confront the baker. The mother angrily tells the baker what happened, after which the baker apologizes and invites the parents in to sit down. He brings out fresh rolls and coffee for the grief-stricken parents, who realize they haven't eaten in days. Carver never relents, vividly depicting page after page of the parents' utter misery in the clutches of fear, dread, and grief, and concluding with a bold act of humanity that is completely overwhelming. It's raw, pure, and deeply moving; it's undoubtedly the most affected I've been by a short story, and perhaps any fiction.