Review: Family is as family does
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 7, 2010
A death in the family is often a traumatic event, with all of the surviving family members flocking to support each other -- and to assure themselves that nobody gets a better hand-me-down than the others.  This Southern novelette tells about one such country family, concerned with the fate of the tractor, the old plowhorse, the Japanese rifle, and more, with less concern given to the grieving widow.As a courtesy to the grieving family, food is dropped by, until there is such a quantity that no one could consume it before it spoiled in the summer heat.  Every good cook in the area is known for a particular dish, and by the same token, there are some dishes one learns to avoid.  There is a very special pie melting into goo on the table, and it has to be eaten...or does it?Ultimately it's a story about an extended family dealing with a life-changing event.  Is the presence of a graveyard on the family farm going to be a problem in the future?  Will the widow be able to manage on her own?And then there's that unusual pie...