Summary

Flood Stories opens with Lottie’s description of her mother’s story about the flood of 1976. Beth tells her daughter that she carried her to safety up a mountain. Lottie, only a baby, was crying the entire time, prompting Beth to remark, “you never were easy to settle...Nothing I did ever contented you, not even saving your life” (111). Now, when Lottie tells her mother of her new job offer in Denver with the state parks and Wildlife office, Beth has the same response: nothing contents Lottie. Because of this, Lottie has learned to keep secrets from her mother, including the fact that she is now pregnant from a one-night stand. They are living in a cabin together after her mother began having health issues. Lottie tries to convince Beth of the thrill of city life, though both women admit that they will...