This is the writer's voice, new fiction from the New Yorker. I'm Deborah Freisman,

fiction at the New Yorker. On this episode of the writer's voice, we'll hear

Camille Bordas read her story Only Orange from the December 23rd 2019 issue of

the magazine. Bordas has published two novels in France,

Etraz de Cére and Parti Camune.

Her first novel in English How to Behave in a Crowd was published in 2017.

Now here's Camille Bordeaux.

Only orange. All I said was that she must like Beige a lot.

I was trying to put my finger on why I disliked her so much.

Audrey, my brother's new girlfriend.

I thought maybe it was the different shades of beige should be wearing all week.

You must really like beige I said said, and she said, what do you mean?

Your pants, I said, your shirts, all beige, or oatmeal, maybe?

Oatmeal sounded less aggressive.

I'd been told I was a little mean at times in my choice of words.

My pants are green, Audrey said.

Jean is right, my brother said, and it was the first time he'd agreed with me all year.

Your pens aren't green, babe.

Just like that, Audrey found out that she was colorblind.

She spent the rest of our family vacation a 10-day biannual endeavor in the South of Spain pointing at different things.

And what color is that? she'd ask.

My parents thought it was so interesting, especially because they could give Audrey clear answers,

...