The Ballad of the Sad Cafe

In the very olden days, before mass media-- tv, movies,and the internet (ie, back in the 1930s) stories were told as entertainment and a means in which to pass along useful information. Many cultures have their prized storytellers and stories. Many native tribes pass stories down, and verses were memorized in song format (ie, a ballad) to preserve their integrity. Not just anyone can tell a story-- the CNN headlines get the info across but in a boring fashion.
Carson McCullers was a wonderful, captivating storyteller. The Ballad of the Sad Cafe takes a liberal stand with the literal "ballad" but it does describe a folk tale of romantic origin. Seeing a rundown building in an old town, one often wonders about its past. Ms. McCullers describes the building's past-- how it went from a general store under the stern eye of Miss Amelia, to a proud cafe when Miss Amelia found love, to its eventual demise when that love is lost. The story is told with exaggerated characters and dubious truths: an evil, murderous ex-husband, a mysterious and mischeivious hunchback, a gaggle of funny named townspeople, and folk remedies prescribed to the ailing by Miss Amelia herself, tested on herself first!

The remainder of the book's short stories are told equally well, and draw on Ms. McCullers' life of lonliness (divorce and separation) and illness (including alcoholism). I still believe her masterpiece is The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, so I will give only four stars to this collection.