An unnamed creative writing academic becomes infatuated with an Irish woman called the poet, 17 years older and a celebrated author. They meet for lunch by a river bench, where they talk and watch wildlife, while she focuses on stories about birds. He notices her scent and feels drawn to her success, contrasting his own sense of being overlooked with her being in high demand. Their connection deepens when she develops breast cancer and he takes on caring duties. His willingness to care surprises him and contrasts with his strained relationship with his mother, Hetty, who has long disapproved of his homosexuality. The story examines love, desire, power, and long-term parental damage.
"He becomes infatuated with an Irish woman, whom he calls the poet, 17 years older than him and a celebrated author. The pair begin meeting for lunch on a bench by a river where they talk and watch the wildlife (she specialises in stories about birds). He observes how this woman smells like jasmine. No, not exactly. She smelled like the earth beneath a jasmine pot on a hot day."
"Our protagonist pursues her his early thoughts about her are wilfully crude despite being in a long-term relationship with Michael, a gym owner with whom he has little in common. He longs to achieve the success that the poet has attained, observing: She was in high demand. I was a beggar. I knew she had a purse full of gold, if only I could get close enough to cut the strings."
"Their relationship moves into more complex territory when she becomes ill with breast cancer, and he takes on caring duties. His willingness to look after her takes him by surprise, and contrasts with his dealings with his ailing mother, Hetty, who has long taken a dim view of her son's homosexuality."
"Kingfisher not only offers a new perspective on age-gap relationships, it shows the long-term damage that can be inflicted by a parent on their child."
Read at www.theguardian.com
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