As I promised in the other post about the cookbook, it is now the end of January and here are the short stories from Several Perceptions. Keep in mind they are all in third person and written in a different style than most of TDK and subsequent books. It was a fun experiment and I hope you enjoy it too. They are all in google documents and if there are any issues in accessing them, please let me know.

If you wish to order a book or epub of that, please go to lulu. If you want a kindle of it, please contact me. Thank you! :)

Roots: Jasmine discusses her family tree and how she descended from Vikings. The scene then moves to the dinner all four of them had together the first night back from Paris, and she goes out on the balcony with Thomas where they discuss dreams.

The Forgetting Disease: As mentioned, this is Bernard talking about his Alzheimer’s and how it feels being back in NJ. It’s when he decides to label everything so he does not forget. He also talks about Paris here, since it was when he developed symptoms.

The Apartment: The apartment itself releases smells that trigger nostalgia for whoever enters. The bulk of this story goes through everyone who has lived in the apartment, and what directions their memories went afterwards and what relationships it helped flourish. For instance,  when Thomas lived there when Bernard was away, the landlord came by to get rent but never ended up collecting it because all he thought about was his sick mother, and when Vivian entered, she would always flashback to art school.

Making Dinner and Remaking The Past: This is the night that Jasmine finally has dinner with Thomas and the power goes out. They make Pad Thai and are both stricken with an usual hunger that will not be satisfied, no matter what they eat. Over dinner, they both discuss whether or not it is possible to live beyond what your family heritage dictates.

A Secular Night In Winter: Told in five vignettes,  it depicts Christmas Eve and into Christmas day for all four of them. No dialogue is used and it’s mainly different descriptions. The recital that is mentioned in the first part of December where Cassandra plays Wagner happens, along with a fight from Vivian. Marc and Alexa’s kids insist on different ornaments for the tree; Jasmine and Thomas actually spend the night together, as do Bernard and Vivian. Similar to Esquivel’s story, something is added to the gingerbread cookies and it makes everyone fall in love with one another again.

The New Year: Jasmine, Bernard, and Thomas all gather together for New Years. This scene was never in The Rainbow, but a lot of the same themes are discussed about whether or not one can escape fate. Jasmine and Vivian make breakfast for Bernard and Thomas. Jasmine teaches Vivian how to “veganize the alphabet,” comparing it to reinventing the wheel.

Dancing: Jasmine and Thomas dance on New Years, but eventually the pressure of change and resolution is too much.