The Pittsburgh Press from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania • Page 16

DO Carolyn The Pittsburgh PreSS Saturday. May 16, 1992 THE FEATURE PAGE Doty weaves tale of ghost-like intrigue, mystery WHISPER by Carohv Doty. Charles Schbners Sons. $21.95. By Jane Cameron BOOH REVEEUS her second published collection of stories; the first.

"Athletes and Artists," earned the New York University prize for fiction. Each story in The Quick" is a sharp stroke of color and mood, pulled rapidly across a Wand canvas. The theme conveyed by the title seems to be that emotional traumas rapidly and irrevocably alter the focus of experience. Each story draws the reader into a family or a relationship, described by a narrator trying to cope with hardship, cruelty and irony amid the entanglements of human connection. Most of the stories have a chilling effect in their unprotected, raw emotionality.

In the novella of the title, "The Quick." a divorcee gathers her family for the funeral of her father, who was unfeeling and unloving during her youth. As counterpoint to the external events, she reminisces about the sudden death of a colleague's young husband, her first experience of being close to death, seeking a way to manage the jarring loss. In other stories, a family home is sold and the adult children gather to relive earlier times amid their parents' unhappy marriage; a man dying of cancer describes exquisitely the death of his marriage as husband and wife exchange those roles for patient and nurse; a father sadly struggles with the spray painting of the family garage. These are not stories for pleasure. Agnes Rossi has a point to make about life's hardships and the ways we cope.

Perhaps her most telling line is "Grief reverses the ordinary proportions of inner and outer life The chaos inside distracts completely." Agnes Rossi is a sensitive writer whose capacity to portray the inner life is probably going to only get better. I hope she continues to refine and deepen her work, further plumbing the human alteration of quick and powerful life events. (Dr. Nancy S. Elman is associate professor of psychology in education at the University of Pittsburgh and is a psychotherapist in private practice.) Whispers can be slanderous.

They can embody intrigue or gossip or long hidden secrets. When whispers are spoken in muffled, wispy tones, they can infuriate the listener. Whispers form the core of Carolyn Dory's latest novel. These are the whispers of family stories of the past which sometimes are dotted with bizarre happenings in far-off places. Other times they are commonplace, yet have a heavy mvstical coating.

The story opens when Ben Hastings, a happily married suburbanite and successful partner in his father's investment firm, is rushing to the hospital. His father was found unconscious on a street in Manhattan. As Ben hurries to the hospital his thoughts are scattered and disturbing. What was his father doing in that part of the city (an unusual place for him to be)? Who was the woman who saw him and immediately summoned help? Suddenly he realizes he knows little about his father. There's a mystery here.

The doctors tell Ben his father has suffered a severe stroke which has left him in an unconscious state, unable to speak, see or react in any way. Stunned by the news. Ben is at first surprised, then curious, to see a woman whom he doesn't recognize talking to these doctors. Who is she? How does she know his father? When Ben visits his father again he's amazed to find this woman, quietly, almost whispering, reading at his father's bedside. She tells Ben she's a hospital volunteer who reads to patients.

He doubts her word. More and more Ben finds himself talking with and listening to this stranger. Ben learns she is the woman who summoned help when his father fell, suffering his stroke, that fateful morning. Her name is Dorothea Ellison. The story of "Whisper" unfolds as Ben begins to visit Dorothea's apartment He wants more information.

Who is she? Is she one of his father's business clients? How does she fit into his father's life? To make Ben understand the answers to these questions Dorothea weaves stories about her past life, her romances, her journeys to other countries and, ultimately, her association with his father. These "whispering" sagas have a sinister attraction. They form a mesmerizing web around Ben and his former normal life. They change him and his life. Carolyn Dory's skillful storytelling ability makes this ghost-like story' fascinating reading.

(June Cameron, a free-lance reviewer, is a former news reporter THE QUICK A NOVELLA AND OTHER STORIES by Agnes Rossi WW. Norton Co $17.95. By Nancy S. Elman Agnes Rossi's "The Quick contains a novella and six short stories. It is STAMP BJEVS Benign marshmallow may be a peril By Syd Kronish DEAR ABBY DEAR ABBY: I read a disturbing article in your column years ago about a child swallowing a marsh-mallow whole.

Could you please print that article again? A CONCERNED DAY-CARE PROVIDER DEAR CONCERNED: The letter to which you referred was printed in 1988, and I agree the warning should be run again: DEAR ABBY: I am writing this with the hope that the parents of small children will see it and be careful of what they give their little ones to eat My 3-year-old nephew, Chad, was eating a large marshmallow. Nobody paid much attention to him until he suddenly started turning blue! The marshmallow had become lodged in his throat and formed a gluelike seal. The poor child could not breathe. They applied the Heimlich maneuver, but could not dislodge the Heroes from biblical times to recent years are honored on new stamps from Israel. Receiving philatelic tribute are the Samaritans of ancient days, the Palmah units who fought during World War II as well as Israel's War of Independence, and a pair of women freedom fighters.

The Samaritans are an ancient sect who have been called "the heirs of the 10 Lost Tribes.H Some of their descendents still live in Israel. The ancient Samaritans period overlaps the period of the old Kingdom of Judea. Their religion is based on Judaism, and they observe most of the Hebrew holidays and festivals. The Palmah formed the striking units of the Hagannah. In World War II they fought alongside Allied forces.

When the War for Independence broke out in 1948, the Palmah brigades helped achieve victory. Two women Hanna Rovina (1889-1990) and Rivka Guber (1902-1981) are hailed for their efforts in war and peace. Guber accompanied Prime Minister Menachem Begin to the U.S. to sign the Camp David Peace Treaty. Rovina became a fine actress on stages around the world The U.S.

Postal Service is revising its report to collectors concerning recycled paper stamped envelopes. The 29-cent Savings Bond printed envelope which bears a preprinted return address will NOT be reissued. The 29-cent Savings Bond plain envelopes without preprinted return address will be included as one of the 18 reissued stamped envelopes. marshmallow. Chad was then rushed to the hospital and was actually pronounced "dead," but they revived him by using a heavy suction pump to remove the marshmallow from the base of his trachea.

Chad is now severely brain-damaged. Abbv, please print this. CHAD'S AUNT DEAR ABBY: Thank you for your column in which you said: "May I toot my own horn a little? In my office stands a 24-inch-tall statuette of a skinny person holding a large OA insignia. On the base of this statuette is inscribed: 'Who Change drugs to avoid side cared enough? Who sent the suffering multitudes to recover in Over-eaters Anonymous? Dear Abby did! Abby, you are too modest; that award was given to you because of the 40,000 Tetters that poured in after one of your columns. Before plugging OA, you came to one of our meetings to personally check us out I recall that you said you were impressed that as a non-member, you weren't allowed to drop a dollar bill in the basket because Overeaters Anonymous is a self-supporting organization and it declines contributions from outsiders.

OA volunteers answered all dizziness, drowsiness, rash, heart failure, aggravation of high blood pressure, jaundice and kidney damage. Gait disturbances, confusion, headache, hallucinations, abnormal involuntary movements, and a host of other neurological problems can occur. In short, while Tegretol is useful in treating seizures, it is associated with health risks. If you are having symptoms at 300 mg. a day, I would be inclined not to double the dose because such an imprudent decision could well lead to more serious FAMILY DOCTOR those inquiries, and new OA groups sprang up all over the world! Today, we have 9,504 groups in 42 countries around the world! I remember this all so well because I participated in presenting the Skinny Award to you in 1973.

Like AA, the 12-step program works for a lifetime. I will soon celebrate 23 years of abstinence from compulsive overeating, and am maintaining a 100-pound weight loss. I am signing my name, but in this group we are all ANONYMOUS DEAR READERS: Anyone interested in finding out more information about this worthwhile organization can find a local group by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Overeaters Anonymous, 383 Van Ness Suite 1601, Torrance, Calif. 90501. If you have a perplexing problem, write to Dear Abby, Box 69440, Los Angeles, Calif.

90069. effects consequences. Your doctor has probably taken the position and properly that your symptoms represent a transient adjustment to starting Tegre- tol; many patients experience' temporary problems at the beginning of therapy. However, I worry that your symptoms may (1) mean that you are going to have a significant idiosyncratic drug reaction and (2) so affect your normal life that you cannot function independently. This is for the birds.

Other safer drugs, such as Dilantin, are available. Insist your doctor make a change. Send your questions to Dr. Gott at Box 91428, Cleveland, Ohio 44101. Due to the volume of mail, individual questions cannot be answered.

Questions of general interest will be answered in future columns. selfishness. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Endeavors of a progressive nature will offer you the greatest gratification.

You're not likely to get a kick out of stodgy things. PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) -An involvement that could be meaningful to you should be given top priority. Your chances for working it out to your expectations look very encouraging. ARIES (March 21-April 19) Situations should develop to your satisfaction if you take the initiative rather than wait on others.

Onlookers will count on you to set the example. For your personal horoscope, lovescope, lucky numbers and future forecast, dial 1 (900) 740-1010 and enter The Pittsburgh Press access code number 180. You will be billed 95 cents per minute. Newspaper Enterprise Association IT HAPPENED May 16 Crossword Puzzle The Family Circus "That's It's a lullaby for soldiers." Answer le Previous Puule J.2-0,N A FIE- uno 3t i 1 5. r7TF7soT eTp Fcm7eFF7Fnu? te yao7tT? o7uRNArcF slelt To fLi.

Iif.1 I Fast 7 7 By Dr. Peter II. Gott DEAR DR. GOTT: I'm taking Tegretol for mild seizures. When I take 300 mg.

daily, I experience side effects of mental confusion, dizziness, double vision and I walk like a drunken person. My doctor wants me on 600 mg. a day, and I dread finding what that dosage would do to me. Any suggestions? DEAR READER: Tegretol (car-bamazepine), a drug for seizures, is useful therapy for many patients. However, the medicine may cause many side effects, to be outlined below, and patients must have periodic blood tests to monitor the level of Tegretol in the system, as well as to check for liver damage.

Furthermore, because the drug can affect the eyes, ophthalmologic SUNDAY BIRTHDAY: There are strong indications you might get involved in a venture in the year ahead that could open up a new channel of income. It's something you've been thinking about doing but never got around to. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) You have the ability to tie up situations vour companions left unraveled. If you use this talent for their good, you'll benefit as well; GEMINI (May 21 June 20) Valuable lessons can be learned by observing one you admire. This person's techniques can be applied to arrangements affecting you.

CANCER (June 2Muly 22) In order to be a good performer, you must be properly motivated. You're likely to put out your best effort when there is some type of material compensation. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Your greatest asset is your ability to exams are advisable. Tegretol should not be administered to patients with liver or kidney disease.

The medication reacts adversely with other drugs, including Coumadin (an anti-coagulant), calcium channel blockers (for heart disease or hypertension) and doxycycUne (an antibiotic). Tegretol has occasionally produced psychotic behavior in patients predisposed to severe mental illness. The major side effects of Tegretol are bone marrow depression, anemia, susceptibility to infection, inspire others who view life from a negative perspective. You'll know what to do and say to elevate their expectations. VIRGO (Aug.

23-Sept. 22) Something you've been wanting to change, but have been unable to influence, might suddenly come about through circumstances initiated by another. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) People you associate with will have an enormous effect upon your attitude and behavior.

Something substantial will result if you're linked up with an enterprising ally. HOROSCOPE May 17 ACROSS sparingly 44 Academy 1 Entertainer Award Sumac 45 4 Silwt standstill screen star 46 Msxican Theda monsy 8 Cozy 49 (Hffarant 12 Afflict SI Fad 13 Heroic S3 Wlldamass 14 Bird rest placs 15 Variety of 55 Additions to apple housas 17 Clothing (si.) 58 Syrings (si.) 18 New York 57 Actor-City stadium Minao 19 Chain of 58 Tints rocks 59 Salary agcy. 21 Wool fiber 60 Marrtad 22 Illustration woman's placad with- Utla in anothar 24 Overweight DOWN 26 Semi- praclous 1 Sweet stona potatoes 27 Entertainer 2 Wolverine McEnUre State 29 Type of 3 Make humorist unfriendly 31 Existence 4 Gamble 35 Cut 5 To ship's left 36 Tropical side fruits 6 Ascend 38 Hominy 7 Dull pain 40 Do better 8 Fast aircraft than (abbr.) 41 Eats 9 Not a soul (2wds.) philosophy 10 Prods 33 11 Canadian general peninsula 34 Sixth sense 16 Most evil (abbr.) 20 Trouser 37 Romaine pocket 39 Snake i 23 Poetic 41 Challenged contraction 42 Where 25 Is poised Naples Is 26 Horse 43 U.S. symbol relative 44 Energy (si.) 27 Request for 47 Repeat reply 48 Announces 28 WWII area 50 Electric 30 1 think, fishes therefore 52 Snaky letter 54 Bluegrass 32 Impractical SCORPIO (Oct 24-Nov. 22) -Your financial aspects are quite positive, and you should be able to generate earnings from something you're able to do for others.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) You could do quite well in competitive situations that have elements of chance. However, if the rewards you're striving for are monetary, this might not be true. CAPRICORN (Dec.

22-Jan. 19) Those you'll be involved with will be responsive to your bidding; they'll realize that what you want them to do is not motivated by Dennis The Menace ALMANAC 7UEeE5UGO, SWEETHEART. I THANKS i 1 5 13 I 15 16 17 II A MA Hi T2 TT T5 itf TT T3 T5 id 71 72 1 JTii ki ifTii 23 16 77" sTTSTTST 75 35 73 34 15 irnrpr 1 4l js rp4 sr 5i si 53 ir 55 73 57 53 73 75 L. Best cake i ever tasted! Today is Saturday, May 16, the 137th day of 1992. There are 229 days left in the year.

This is Armed Forces Day. On this date in history: In 1770, Marie Antoinette, then 14, married the future King Louis XVI of France, who was 15. In 1866, Congress authorized minting of the 5-cent piece. In 1960, a Big Four summit conference in Paris collapsed on its opening day as the Soviet Union leveled spy charges against the United States in the wake of the U-2 incident. In 1975, Japanese climber Junko Tabei became the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest In 1990, entertainer Sammy Davis Jr.

died in Los Angeles at 64 and "Muppets" creator Jim Henson died in New York at 53. Thought for the day: "Ideas won't keep; something must be done about them." Alfred North Whitehead BThe Associated Pres 25 YEARS AGO (1967) Attorney Leonard Staisey and State Rep. Thomas J. Foerster won the Democratic nomination for county commissioner About 12,000 workers, including 1,500 in the Pittsburgh area, struck Bell of Pennsylvania after a worker was suspended for 5V4 hours because of a minor traffic citation. 50 YEARS AGO (1942) The FBI investigated a plot to wreck the Pittsburgh-Buffalo Express train at the Whittmer Cut near Glenshaw Station.

Someone had put rocks on the track bed. 100 YEARS AGO (1892) Health authorities were "taking extra Erecautions" to prevent an expected out-reak of small pox. One physician in each of the city's 36 wards was assigned to vaccinate all school-age children. Compiled by Rich Gigler Stumped? Get answers to clues by calling 1-900-454-3535 and entering-) access code No. 180 95 cents perqunute; touch-tone or rotary phones,).