Blog #3 Furthur Reading

For this blog we were tasked with reading a story that was not assigned. This is what I have to share:

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For this blog assignment I chose to read David Means, “The Secret Goldfish.” The title alone was curious enough to grab my attention, and I just had to read it. The story as a whole was quite good, albeit a bit different than what I normally read. The story revolved around a family’s pet goldfish that through the years lived on to the surprise of its caretakers. As the story progressed, the narrator who I believe was the mother, reflects on her childhood memories of having her own goldfish that was thrown into a pond by her father. Her father was later killed in an accident. When not reflecting on memories of the past, the author cares for the fish, but fails to for a long period of time when her life got complicated. It is interesting to note that it seems the author at times attributes the condition of the fish tank with the condition of the human relationships. This is even summed up in the line: “Then she felt awe at the fact that life was sustainable even under the most abhorrent conditions.” (pg401)  

As a whole, I was quite pleased with this story, and am glad that I have read it. The beginning was gripping and caught my attention easily, due in part to the title. I would recommend this story to anyone interested.