Pervasive Emotional Distances

Throughout the collection, numerous characters find themselves in situations where they are emotionally distant from the people around them, including those who love them. Some of these characters make deliberate choices to shield themselves from intimate relations, as it either comes too difficult or they have had bad experiences in the past. On the other hand, some characters have faced traumas in the past that have rendered them incapable of bridging any gap between them and the people with whom they need to develop relationships. In these situations, they are left to witness the world as it passes by them, wondering to themselves how the distance grew between them and the world.

Someone like the narrator of "The Chicane" is the epitome of the emotional distance that is not only too large, but too large to conquer. As the story progresses, the reader sees...