Raymond Carver: Nobody Said Anything - short story review

A sweet story about a kid longing for his parents' attention. He pretends to be sick so he could stay home and not go to school (didn't we all do it at some point in time?) He goes fishing to the nearest pond, catches a two-foot fish with another kid, they decide to cut it in half so they could each bring a trophy home.

I'm skipping over some details which are written quite well but I'd ecnourage you to read it yourself.

The end, though, is heartbreaking. The kid gets home, witnesses his parents fighting, tries to interrupt with his exuberance - he caught a two-foot fish after all! - and instead ends up being yelled at by his father and being told to throw it out.

The ending still lingers in my head: “I lifted him out. I held him. I held the half of him.”

The fish cut in two could also signify his family being broken apart, as there's hints of the beginning of the end all throughout the story.

Rating: 4/5