The Complete Stories of Flannery O’Connor

Yesterday, I featured 100 Years of the Best American Short Stories and I mentioned how through that collection I was able to discover new writers of short fiction. Flannery O’Connor (1925 – 1964) is one of them. In her somewhat short life, Ms. O’Connor was able to share her craft with the world, covering harsh and real topics like race and family. Here is an extract from ‘The Comforts of Home‘

Thomas loved his mother. He loved her because it was his nature to do so, but there were times when he could not endure her love for him. There were times when it became nothing but pure idiot mystery and he sense about him forces, invisible currents entirely out of his control. She proceeded always from the tritest of considerations – it was the nice thing to do – into the most foolhardy engagements with the devil, whom, of course, she never recognized.