IN THE EMPTY QUARTER

In this short story, set in 1952, Jean is an unusual but naïve woman. She's trying to be her own person, but, ultimately, she's defined by her status as a woman. The author introduces her as the wife of a U.S businessman who is looking for oil in the Middle East. Narrator Soneela Nankani captures her manipulativeness, boredom, feelings of superiority to the other wives on the trip, and insistence on getting her own way. When Jean interacts with her husband's Arab guide, Nankani makes a subtle shift, coming across as confident and flirtatious. And when Jean steps into a cave in the desert in an area known for being the home of demons and other creatures of fables, she is forever changed. J.E.M. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2021]