"Aunt Florrie" is narrated in the first person by an idiosyncratic voice as annoying sometimes as Aunt Florrie herself. This is an attempt by Westall to capture a teenager's manner of speech and the attitudes that prompt his words: the chip-on-the-shoulder defiance of established authority, the rebellious questioning of tradition, a desire to be free of responsibility, and the simmering tensions of sibling rivalry. The narrator's desire to have fun on Christmas is understandable; his annoyance at little brother Stan is also understandable. Yet his attitudes toward his relatives and parents color his depiction of them enough to make one suspicious of their accuracy. For instance, he seems somewhat contemptuous of his father's business, the importing of novelties. If one reads between the lines, however, one will notice that his father's business has won friends throughout the local community and provides the narrator with a privileged...