tale for orientals.

a tale in the manner of Oscar Wilde, from my novel Through the Baltic Looking-Glass

"The Picture of Dorian Gray" tells of a young man named Dorian Gray, the subject of a painting by artist Basil Hallward. Basil is impressed by Dorian's beauty and becomes infatuated with him, believing his beauty is responsible for a new mode in his art. Dorian meets Lord Henry Wotton, a friend of Basil's, and becomes enthralled by Lord Henry's world view. Espousing a new hedonism, Lord Henry suggests the only things worth pursuing in life are beauty and fulfilment of the senses.

Pearl’s a recluse - she hasn’t left the house in twenty years (no one knows why), and her cousin Eve has avoided her for years. But now Pearl’s mother dies, Eve makes a condolence visit, and Pearl spills out her secret: A wildly passionate relationship she had with a mysterious man one freezing winter’s day. The romance of a lifetime...