MY MOTHER’S STORIES were beautiful and sad and dark. We read them in her native language when I was very small, and they collected in my imagination, narrated by her voice. When I turned five, I started school in California and learned new stories: Theseus slaying the Minotaur, Tom Sawyer outwitting adults and getting a kiss from Becky, Elizabeth Bennet marrying Mr. Darcy.
Now let me tell you a story about the apricot tree. Its sweet fruit