The Husband by Jeremy Kuban

[Lester Curtis]

Not too bad . . . the biggest problem I had with this story is in a setting detail: you get about a third into the story before the word "candlelight" appears. Prior to that, I had no clue that this didn't happen in a more modern setting. It makes sense in retrospect, but allows some confusion at first.

Lester is right in using the term 'allows' some confusion at first. I liked the way the author begins by someone pounding on a door - because the story at that point could lead anywhere, it is completely open. By the end of this short tale, however, the focus narrows, narrows until we can see precisely the circumstances and the insanity of the husband. The rampant fear inside the doctor is implied only - pulling the sheets tighter - he'd have to go out to ....
I liked the way the author showed us this was a time before cell phones, before everyone could just dial 911 and a policeman would be at your door. A time when a knock at your door was answered without knowledge of who was on the other side - or what their state of mind might be. That's a lot of showing in just this short tale.