Searching for Story; Need to Get "Unstuck"

December 11, 2007 1:10 PM

Short Story Filter: I'm trying to track down a wonderful short story I read maybe 15 years ago. It focuses on a couple struggling with a dysfunctional marital and/or sexual relationship. The story is set somewhere in a snowy/icy climate, and the central conceit of the story is that the husband needs to free their car which is stuck in the snow. As the story unfolds, the author describes the back-and-forth rocking of the car as he slams it from "drive" into "reverse" and back again, and it becomes clear that the movement of the car is a powerful sexual metaphor. Finally the car rolls free and the dramatic release seems to provide hope for the relationship. Does this sound familiar to anybody? I thought the title of the story was "Unstuck," but Googling has led me nowhere.
posted by AngerBoy to writing & language (5 comments total)

You're right, it is called Unstuck and it's by John Updike.
posted by iconomy at 1:34 PM on December 11, 2007

It's from Trust Me, btw.
posted by iconomy at 1:40 PM on December 11, 2007

Wow, that's gotta be a Ask MeFi land-speed record.

Thanks, iconomy!
posted by AngerBoy at 1:47 PM on December 11, 2007

Not even close to a record - the record is 2 minutes, I think....it may even be one minute! I have the book so if you need a passage or something, let me know. You're welcome ;)
posted by iconomy at 1:51 PM on December 11, 2007

iconomy is a trove of everything
posted by growabrain at 8:25 PM on December 11, 2007