Small Practical Help (A Short Story)

by Lara Prescott

This story was originally published in Day One, a weekly literary journal dedicated to short fiction and poetry from emerging writers.

With her husband gone and her daughter living two time zones away, Nancy quietly suffers alone in her large Texas home after chemotherapy. To bring some change to her isolated life, she decides to temporarily house two Syrian refugees—Ali and his daughter, Sabeen—during their first few days in America. Nancy’s daughter disapproves of her decision—especially since Nancy is in such a fragile physical state. But for Nancy, harboring the refugees is just a small and practical way to help.

When the distraught family arrives with few belongings and even fewer words, Nancy becomes embroiled in an intense and unexpected connection that may just help her discover her purpose once again. A moving and uplifting story, Small Practical Help reminds us that we don’t necessarily need to be at our strongest to help those in need.

Genres: Fiction

23 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 1, 2017

About the author

Lara Prescott's debut novel, THE SECRETS WE KEPT, is out September 3, 2019 from Alfred A. Knopf (US) and Hutchinson (UK), and will be translated into 29 languages.

Lara received her MFA from the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas in 2018. She grew up in Pennsylvania and studied political science at American University in Washington, D.C. Prior to writing fiction, Lara worked as a political campaign consultant.

Lara's writing has appeared in The Southern Review, The Hudson Review, Crazyhorse, Tin House Flash Friday, and more. She lives in Austin, Texas.

Reviews

[Mohamed · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have become a huge fan of Lara Prescott.

Her writing (this short story) and "The secrets we kept" are full of sentimental notes; the positive side of human beings and their shortcomings are pleasantly presented here.

I do like her literary style, her prose, descriptions and metaphors.

I am not sure if this is the platform for the type of unsolicited praise I am providing, but I wanted to say that reading Lara's novel and short stories has been a truly remarkable and pleasant experience.

I like to imagine that writing is a telepathic experience where the author imparts their ideas but also their temperament. It was soothing to read her smooth and agreeable prose even in scenes when tension was at its peak.

There are writers which compel us to want to live in the worlds they weave and Lara is one of those. I always wanted to write a similar note to Agatha Christie but she's dead. I thought I'd write that to the current author.

Can't wait to read more of her novels as they get published.

[TriciaDea_Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to pick a book for a challenge - the prompt ... an author you previously disliked. Well since I seriously disliked "The Secrets We Kept" I figured a short story by Lara Prescott was a good place to start. No long commitment, an this would give me an idea as to whether or not I should continue with other books by this author. I'm not sure how I feel about her as an author. While I hated the reference to believers (like there's something wrong with being a believer), and I thought the reference to being seen in Ross was snobby, I found I wanted to know more about what happened to Ali, Sabeen, and Nancy. So I guess she did her job as a writer. I liked this short story much more than I liked "The Secrets We Kept." I might try another book by this author. I'd actually like to read more of this story.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Small Practical Help” is a sweet story showing how we can make very meaningful connections in surprising ways. I was very moved by the story. The author writes very well. I look forward to reading more of her work.