IJ study archive

Hal and Mario on liars, in the dark

quote

‘I keep thinking about Orin and how he stood there and lied to her about S. Johnson’s map getting eliminated.’ […] ‘I’ve been thinking compulsively about Orin ever since C.T. called us all in. When you think about Orin what do you think, Boo?’

Context

Hal's mode of remembering, self-described: compulsive, circling, suspicious — replaying Orin's lie over the dog's death, looking for what it means about the family. The trim is Mario's two-word answer ("She was sad."), which is itself the whole contrast: same past, one brother mines it for deception, the other for feeling.

In anthology