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Home from Tenth of December, George Saunders

"Home"  Soldier returns to dysfunctional home. Mom has new boyfriend, Harris.  Garbage-strewn house, "potty mouth." Bleak.  Narrator has ex-wife who has remarried a guy he hates.  "Three cars for two grown-ups. What a country. What a couple of selfish dicks my wife and her new husband were."

Looks at his town.  Section with castles, then the castles get smaller, then his house--a peasant hut.

He breaks in on a family day at his ex-wife's house.  He wants to hold the new baby.  New husband says no.  "Having all these people think I was going to hurt the baby made me imagine hurting the baby."  He pours lemonade all over the floor and leaves.

Contemplates murdering them all.  Realizes no one could stop him.  "Your belief that anything and everything can be fixed with talk, talk, endless yapping, hopeful talk."

He doesn't kill them:  "Find some way to bring me back." Plea, but not hopeful.


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