Hippos on Wednesday

Within a single "George and Martha" book, there has to be a crescendo. The last of the five stories has to represent a culminating crisis. The stakes need to be higher than ever before.

In "The Surprise," Martha threatens to sever relations--forever.

In "The Garden," George designs a grand project that fails, but the failure leads to Martha's famous announcement: "I wouldn't trade our friendship for all the gardens in the world."

In "The Tooth," George is swamped with grief, and it's briefly unclear whether the grief will ever go away.

My favorite Marshall "climax" story is the end of the penultimate George/Martha volume, and it's called "The Book." In that one, Martha simply won't shut up while George is trying to read. George, convinced that Martha is deliberately antagonizing him, prepares to deliver a sermon on the importance of being considerate.

Before George can speak--however--Martha apologizes.... and she says her fidgeting was just an outgrowth of being lonely. George hadn't considered this. The one preparing the sermon was actually the one who needed to be preached to.

Able to see his friend in a new light, George zips his own lips. He listens. Martha tells stories. The two friends pass the time, and Martha doesn't fidget, "even just once or twice."

You have the sense of an ending; the sun is going down; it's evening. Again, I can't get tired of reading this guy's work.

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