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The Empties
Novelette.
She had never perfected the trick of moistening the envelope flap with the tip of her tongue so it would stick and lie perfectly flat. In those days, perfect meant as if untouched by hands. Her flaps were always overwet and lumpy; when she pressed them down, she made them worse. Still, she loved folding the paper twice over, into three equal parts; she loved writing addresses, but especially her name and address in the upper-left corner. J. Seiden. 29 Portnock Road. The dignity, the businesslike efficiency of these slim objects, asking nothing, never disclosing more than they needed to. An envelope with only a check inside flapped like a flag, but an envelope containing a two-page letter had a solid integrity on every plane. A writer only in the sense that she loved having written. She slid the envelopes under the metal lid of the mailbox on her parents’ porch and stared at them for a few moments. Proof of her existence in the world. Proof the world existed. You could count on it: someone was coming to take them away. Proof you would be sent, proof you would arrive.
She had never perfected the trick of moistening the envelope flap with the tip of her tongue so it would stick and lie perfectly flat. In those days, perfect meant as if untouched by hands. Her flaps were always overwet and lumpy; when she pressed them down, she made them worse. Still, she loved folding the paper twice over, into three equal parts; she loved writing addresses, but especially her name and address in the upper-left corner. J. Seiden. 29 Portnock Road. The dignity, the businesslike efficiency of these slim objects, asking nothing, never disclosing more than they needed to. An envelope with only a check inside flapped like a flag, but an envelope containing a two-page letter had a solid integrity on every plane. A writer only in the sense that she loved having written. She slid the envelopes under the metal lid of the mailbox on her parents’ porch and stared at them for a few moments. Proof of her existence in the world. Proof the world existed. You could count on it: someone was coming to take them away. Proof you would be sent, proof you would arrive.
20 pages, ebook
First published October 27, 2014
58 people want to read
About the author
Jess Row
15 books68 followersJess Row is an American short story writer and novelist. He attended Yale University and later taught English in Hong Kong for two years before completing his M.F.A. at the University of Michigan in 2001.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 24, 2018
What a fantastic bit of post-apocalytic fiction!
Forget zombies - what gets us in the end is when we run out of caffeine and our meds:
That was the worst of it: the weeks of withdrawal when the coffee had run out, then the tea, the cigarettes, the Adderall, the Wellbutrin and Ativan, the Paxil and Zoloft.
And, I had to laugh when the public library becomes the most desired spot in town:
She finds Matilda Barnstone in her rocking chair on the library porch, smoking a pipe, her sawed-off shotgun resting comfortably across the floral sprigs of her lap. The library is the only building left in town with a working lock, chicken wire nailed across the windows. People might share their last finger of motor oil, Matilda says, break a four-inch candle in two, divide a pot of beans to serve eight, but they’ll kill you for a book. She sleeps in the basement with a Glock under her pillow. No lending anymore; all books stay on the premises, which means an old schoolhouse groaning on its joists, two floors, people in every nook, sweating, stinking, swatting flies, licking their thumbs as they page through Maeve Binchy and C. P. Snow, Louis L’Amour and George Santayana. Everyone gets patted down before leaving.
Leave it to a librarian to lay down the law.
Great story; I'll be looking for more by this author.
Forget zombies - what gets us in the end is when we run out of caffeine and our meds:
That was the worst of it: the weeks of withdrawal when the coffee had run out, then the tea, the cigarettes, the Adderall, the Wellbutrin and Ativan, the Paxil and Zoloft.
And, I had to laugh when the public library becomes the most desired spot in town:
She finds Matilda Barnstone in her rocking chair on the library porch, smoking a pipe, her sawed-off shotgun resting comfortably across the floral sprigs of her lap. The library is the only building left in town with a working lock, chicken wire nailed across the windows. People might share their last finger of motor oil, Matilda says, break a four-inch candle in two, divide a pot of beans to serve eight, but they’ll kill you for a book. She sleeps in the basement with a Glock under her pillow. No lending anymore; all books stay on the premises, which means an old schoolhouse groaning on its joists, two floors, people in every nook, sweating, stinking, swatting flies, licking their thumbs as they page through Maeve Binchy and C. P. Snow, Louis L’Amour and George Santayana. Everyone gets patted down before leaving.
Leave it to a librarian to lay down the law.
Great story; I'll be looking for more by this author.
September 7, 2018
This was really good, so good that I wish it had been a full-length novel.
September 5, 2015
This is an excellent short story. It is complete. I wish there was 300 pages of it. But the 20 were very satisfying.
February 4, 2017
I took a break to read The Empties.
As a short story, it reminded me of a short story written by Stephen King; both stories are similar in their theme: what happens to survivors after a calamity kills most of the world's population and life as we know it. The Empties left me with the same feeling.
It's not my usual reading, but I liked it.
As a short story, it reminded me of a short story written by Stephen King; both stories are similar in their theme: what happens to survivors after a calamity kills most of the world's population and life as we know it. The Empties left me with the same feeling.
It's not my usual reading, but I liked it.
April 23, 2019
Beautiful prose, but utterly forgettable.
April 2, 2015
The thing about short stories is that you’ll always miss out on the beginning. It seems kind of inevitable that the first paragraph will jump into the plot immediately, without the luxury of a slow-build or a dramatic lead-in. Before you know the characters’ names or where they are or the context of their surroundings, you’ll be dropped into the middle of the problem or conflict. The responsibility of figuring out what is happening, where and why is left up to the reader.
Sometimes this works to the story’s advantage – by making the reader fill in the blanks, the story becomes immediately interesting as we scramble to identify hints that will reveal what is going on. But at the same time, this effort to establish context kind of takes away from the experience – instead of sinking in, we’re left on the outside, fully aware of how confused we are, waiting for the pieces to fall into place before we can actually start enjoying it. If I had the time or the patience for re-reading, I feel like most short stories, including The Empties, would be better the second time around, so at least you know where you stand.
Full review: http://somebookishthings.com/2015/04/...
Sometimes this works to the story’s advantage – by making the reader fill in the blanks, the story becomes immediately interesting as we scramble to identify hints that will reveal what is going on. But at the same time, this effort to establish context kind of takes away from the experience – instead of sinking in, we’re left on the outside, fully aware of how confused we are, waiting for the pieces to fall into place before we can actually start enjoying it. If I had the time or the patience for re-reading, I feel like most short stories, including The Empties, would be better the second time around, so at least you know where you stand.
Full review: http://somebookishthings.com/2015/04/...
May 18, 2016
Read in The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2015
A town built around an enormous makeshift solar charging tower attempts to find similar structure in the end of the world. The main character, a young girl, tries to find a purpose in the ram-shackle town she now finds herself living in alone.
This is a great short story about a more 'modern' and realistic post-apocalyptic world where people are still trying to grab hold of the last few scraps that were left behind. I was at first surprised by how helping and selfless the populace of the town was to the main character but as it would probably come to be, everyone has their job.
A town built around an enormous makeshift solar charging tower attempts to find similar structure in the end of the world. The main character, a young girl, tries to find a purpose in the ram-shackle town she now finds herself living in alone.
This is a great short story about a more 'modern' and realistic post-apocalyptic world where people are still trying to grab hold of the last few scraps that were left behind. I was at first surprised by how helping and selfless the populace of the town was to the main character but as it would probably come to be, everyone has their job.
September 25, 2015
I stumbled across this in the break room one day when I was caught short without something to read (horrors!!) and picked up an old issue of The New Yorker. So glad I did -- this is a powerful piece of writing, with all the necessary post-apocalypse elements intriguingly presented and not a single surplus sentence or scene. My only complaint is that I wish it had been a novel, as I would have loved more time in Row's PA world. Highly recommended, and you can read if for free here.
November 21, 2014
some perfect lines like: Some people, you get a little liquor in them and it’s all about the old times. They want to huddle up and sing Lady Gaga. would've been more fun if it was a little less self-righteous. but then i suppose it wouldn't have been in the new yorker.
October 28, 2014
Read this short story on the New Yorker's website. Funny, interesting. Really liked it.
November 1, 2014
"The Empties" is a short story taking place about 3 years in the future. There has been a total electrical blackout that is still continuing.
May 1, 2017
This is a great survival short about Vermont residents (white suburbanites, hippies, and millennials) dealing with the permanent loss of electricity.
February 9, 2017
I just happened upon this novella and I am very happy that I did. I really enjoyed this story.
September 6, 2015
This is a great short story
July 14, 2018
Moderately entertaining short story about post apocalyptic life.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews