The majority of Taylor’s stories in this anthology are set in the old South of Tennessee and therefore there is the constant of social status as well as the racial relations. Taylor’s amazing insight coupled with his skill at exposing his characters brings a tremendously powerful impact on what is usually a fairly simple story line of interaction.
For example, in Porte Cochere, we are in the study of an elderly man who listens in on his grown children who are visiting for his birthday. Here Taylor uses a standard he’s established of the protagonist revealing a personal opinion, one less than of high regard, of his offspring and we are into a battle of changing values brought with each generation. What Taylor does give the reader in Porte Cochere however, is the reason for the man’s rancor. In this case, his having been beaten by his father as a boy and his resolve to never be a father. What happens here is more reinforcement of the character, as well as giving us a bit of background of which his own children are unaware, and which explains much of their opinion of him as well.
Some good lessons in character development to be learned here.
One of Taylor’s stories, Rain in The Heart, is particularly subtle and I realize that I need to go back and reread it in order to fully enjoy and get out of it what Taylor has so aptly put in.
The Lost Children: A Charity Anthology