Help me find this New Yorker short story
October 3, 2016 8:44 AM Subscribe
Short story about a male high school teacher who has a crush on his wild student. Help!
I'm trying to locate a short story I loved years ago. I know it appeared in the New Yorker sometime within the last 12 to 14 years. It's told from the point of view of a male teacher at a (private?) high school. He gets a crush on one of his female students, who's living a wild and self-destructive kind of life (sneaking out, drinking/drugs, maybe involved with sketchy men). You expect something terrible to happen to her, but nothing does. In the last scene, the teacher meets her again; time has passed—she may be in college now—and she has pulled herself together and is doing just fine.
Anybody know the title or author of this?
I'm trying to locate a short story I loved years ago. I know it appeared in the New Yorker sometime within the last 12 to 14 years. It's told from the point of view of a male teacher at a (private?) high school. He gets a crush on one of his female students, who's living a wild and self-destructive kind of life (sneaking out, drinking/drugs, maybe involved with sketchy men). You expect something terrible to happen to her, but nothing does. In the last scene, the teacher meets her again; time has passed—she may be in college now—and she has pulled herself together and is doing just fine.
Anybody know the title or author of this?
Wonderful story My Dad. Thank you.
posted by erebora at 12:47 PM on October 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by erebora at 12:47 PM on October 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
Hah, I came to Metafilter looking for that story previously. Not sure that is the one the original poster is looking for, although it could be, as I didn't remember it accurately either.
posted by pasici at 2:17 PM on October 3, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by pasici at 2:17 PM on October 3, 2016 [2 favorites]
The Republic of Bad Taste by Jonathan Franzen is kinda almost like this description above. (Franzen is one of those writers who is not greatly loved by some mefi commenters;)
posted by ovvl at 2:57 PM on October 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by ovvl at 2:57 PM on October 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Yes, it was The Smoker!!!! God bless you, My Dad.
posted by toomuchkatherine at 9:42 AM on October 7, 2016
posted by toomuchkatherine at 9:42 AM on October 7, 2016
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posted by My Dad at 9:07 AM on October 3, 2016 [2 favorites]