This is the writer's voice, new fiction from The New Yorker.

I'm Deborah Treasman, fiction editor at The New Yorker.

On this episode of The Writer's Voice, we'll hear Fiona McFarlane read her story Demolition

from the May 25th, 2020 issue of the magazine.

McFarlane is the author of a novel, The Night Guest,

and a story collection, The High Places,

which was awarded the International Dylan Thomas Prize in 2017.

Now here's Fiona McFarlane. Demolition The bigger house is coming down, Gerald said, finally.

He took the tray from Eva's lap.

That lovely house, Eva said.

With a finger, Gerald lifted one slat of the horizontal blinds.

He held the tray in his other hand and peered out the window. What's lovely about it, he said,

and the tray tilted. Gerald, Eva, called, and he ridded the tray without looking at her.

The Japanese maple with the crimson leaves.

They dug it up already, Gerald said.

Worth a fortune a tree like that.

Eva wheeled herself to the window.

I'll pull the lines, Gerald said,

but he went away first, into the kitchen with the tray,

and until he came back,

she studied the dust on the edges of the

blinds, the very thin rim of it. But who could fault Gerald, who was tremendous with the housework

...