High Ground: Stories

Those who have called John McGahern a modern Chekhov are struck by his ability to transform commonplace experiences into moments of epiphany. In “Parachutes,” the narrator reels in the aftermath of a breakup with the woman he loves; “Oldfashioned” isthe story of Johnny, a country boy oddly drawn to the elderly English couple for whom he represents the son they lost in the War; and in “Eddie Mac” and “The Conversion of William Kirkwood,” a wealthy family and its hired help learn that the relationship of master and servant is the most enduring relationship of all.

In High Ground, John McGahern displays all of his acclaimed mastery, and both deepens and extends the world of his generous imagination.