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Old Crimes: And Other Stories

Review

Old Crimes: And Other Stories

OLD CRIMES is a short story collection that showcases Jill McCorkle’s ability to create a life, a history and a realization in only a few sketches. She uses an old moment, an old crime or an old familiar object; by re-seeing it, she gives it fresh meaning.

In “Swinger,” Marnie does not have much. Each recollection of her life with Roland, each picture she draws of his house and the neighborhood, and each remembered conversation with him come together to bring her into focus. Roland’s unexpected death a few days earlier startles her into getting her things together to leave. His wife has come to take possession of the small property and has given her notice to vacate as soon as possible.

"Short stories need precision and exceptional detail to tell an interesting tale, and Jill McCorkle has created 12 tiny masterpieces here."

In the few days she has left to live in his house and touch his belongings, she looks again at a box of Polaroid pictures she had discovered after moving in with him. Mostly they are of “crime scenes,” like burned-out cars or mug shots of dogs that bite. But in a separate manila envelope are 23 pictures of women, all of whom are nude and have similar poses. Some were taken in this same bedroom, and Marnie recognizes Roland’s wife and a few women from town.

The story ends abruptly with the arrival of an escaped prisoner who is looking for money and threatens Marnie with a pistol. He tells her about prison life while she thinks of ways to save herself.

The focus of “Confessional” is an actual confessional that is found in an antique shop in a small Southern coastal town. Two shoppers --- a man and a woman --- do not notice it at first; the mahogany box fits in so well with the dark woodwork and other items for sale. But when they pause to look more closely, the shop’s owner gives its history with confidence. It is Italian, probably carved in Florence, and somehow found its way to this town. She is not sure how or when, but it miraculously survived Hurricane Hazel in 1954, while its Catholic church did not.

The building was razed, pews went everywhere, and this fabulous piece of workmanship became part of a local bar called Hoho’s Haven, which was used for storage and liquor bottles. Hoho went to jail for an unknown, unspeakable crime before the shopkeeper’s time, and the confessional was found by a gay couple in the ’70s who restored it. They had lots of cocktail parties, and it was used as the center of attention --- whisperings of “I stole money” or “We lied to the officer,” followed by “Forgive me.” The rusted screen became damp again with more whispered confessions.

The man and woman from the antique shop think the confessional was bigger than they remembered when it’s delivered to their home the next afternoon, but they also think it would be a solid symbol of their marriage in their slick Ikea lives. This magnificent piece of artistry becomes a conversation piece for them, drawing out secrets and stories about one another that they are shocked to hear. Sitting on one side and listening to the partner on the other side becomes usual fare. And, McCorkle says, it turns sexual. Of course it does. Then “just one more” moment about a safe word ends the revelations. The future for this still-unnamed couple may connect to a piece of furniture, but it may not be the confessional.

Short stories need precision and exceptional detail to tell an interesting tale, and Jill McCorkle has created 12 tiny masterpieces here. Even though the stories are completed and the characters remain just characters, we decide for ourselves how close we are to their reality.

Reviewed by Jane T. Krebs on January 19, 2024

Old Crimes: And Other Stories
by Jill McCorkle

  • Publication Date: December 3, 2024
  • Genres: Fiction, Short Stories
  • Paperback: 256 pages
  • Publisher: Algonquin Books
  • ISBN-10: 1643755994
  • ISBN-13: 9781643755991