"That woman who killed the fish unfortunately is me," begins the title
story, but "if it were my fault, I'd own up to you, since I don't lie to
boys and girls. I only lie sometimes to a certain type of grownup
because there's no other way." Enumerating all the animals she's
loved--cats, dogs, lizards, chickens, monkeys--Clarice finally asks: "Do
you forgive me?"
"The Mystery of the Thinking Rabbit" is a detective story which explains
that bunnies think with their noses: for a single idea a bunny might
"scrunch up his nose fifteen thousand times" (he may not be too bright,
but "he's not foolish at all when it comes to making babies"). The third
tale, "Almost True," is a shaggy dog yarn narrated by a pooch who is
very worried about a wicked witch: "I am a dog named Ulisses and my
owner is Clarice." The wonderful last story, "Laura's Intimate Life"
stars "the nicest hen I've ever seen." Laura is "quite dumb," but she
has her "little thoughts and feelings. Not a lot, but she's definitely
got them. Just knowing she's not completely dumb makes her feel all
chatty and giddy. She thinks that she thinks." A one-eyed visitor from
Jupiter arrives and vows Laura will never be eaten: she's been worrying,
because "humans are a weird sort of person" who can love hens and eat
them, too. Such throwaway wisdom abounds: "Don't even get me started."
These delightful, high-hearted stories, written for her own boys, have
charm to burn--and are a treat for every Lispector reader.
