The photograph: close-up view of a piano keyboard.

The story: the protagonist, born in Hong Kong and now resident in New Zealand (the latest stop in a peripatetic life) reflects on her relationships (long-distance and otherwise) and the place of America in her life. Running elegantly through it all is the theme of music, especially the character’s love for the songs of Hoagy Carmichael. A fine note on which to end the anthology.

Link: Xu Xi’s website

This is one of a series of posts on the anthology Still. Click here to read the rest.