The New Yorker: Fiction

Richard Ford Reads John Cheever

May 4, 2007
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ANECDOTE

Richard Ford's "Be Union"

  • Richard Ford read "Reunion" roughly 300 times and wrote a story inspired by it, titled "Be Union."
  • "Be Union" involves a man encountering his former lover's husband, who had previously assaulted him, in a station.
INSIGHT

Compactness of "Reunion"

  • Cheever's "Reunion" is compact, around 1,000 words, yet contains the material of a much longer story.
  • Much of the story's power comes from what is left unsaid, the unspoken context of the reunion.
INSIGHT

Cheever's Writing Style

  • Cheever likely included only the most essential elements, assuming the rest would be understood.
  • The story feels like a single utterance, despite likely revisions and refinements.
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