Review: Fun Ten Minute Long Story About a Burglar and an Old Lady With a Bit of an Odour Problem
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 25, 2012
This is the second approximate ten minute long short story I've read by Andrew Biss.  I've been impressed by them both, and they've done what short stories should, convinced me to take a look at his full length novels.  An Embarrassing Odour is just a plain fun quick read.  It is predictable, but since when do all short stories you read have to have a twist you don't see coming.  What makes a good story is the fun and enjoyable journey you take at getting to the end.  Sure an oh wow I didn't see that coming statement in your head as you read the final sentence can enhance that, and you don't have that here, but the dialogue and interaction between the two main characters is what the fun is all about in An Embarrassing Odour.The basic plot of this one has a 78 year old lady reluctantly admitting to her dead husband's photograph who she talks to regularly that she can't solve the last clue in her crossword puzzle and she's getting tired.  However just as she gets up to go to bed glass smashes and she's face to with an intruder who's angry she didn't have a light on as he assumed the place was empty.  Now he's got to deal with an old lady who to make matters worse has a very bad odour.  She tells him she can't help that, it happens with age.  What follows is some excellent and time humorous dialogue where the old lady tries to convince the intruder that she has no money or anything of value and that she won't tell the police he's visited if he just leaves.  He however is convinced that everyone always has at least something of value hidden away and is getting impatient and her smell isn't helping his tolerance of the situation..