"A Temporary Matter"

This story has become my favorite of all the ones we've read. The drifting apart couple seemed like they were about to finally mend their marriage only to at the end drift to decide to drift even further apart. I liked how the story seemed to be told through a series of flashbacks as well as present tense without become boring and the flashback sequences were not over worked. I thought the little reveal game during the power outages was very clever idea, although I was expecting some deeper dirt to come up other than cheating on tests and bar hopping. I didn't like Shoba's character very much in this story. I wanted so very much to sympathize with her after the still birth of her child but at the end, I was unable to. The fact that she excluded Shukumar from her life afterwards made me fall out with her. Yes, I understand she was the one carrying the baby and Shukumar wasn't there when she went to the hospital but he lost a child too. But then again, perhaps if Shoba knew that Shukumar had gotten to see their son and held him, she may have behaved differently. I'm not sure if Shukumar kept this information from her for her benefit or just merely to be spiteful. Though the texted said he wouldn't tell her [because he loved her and it was the one thing she had wanted to be a surprise].... but I'm sure a part of him blamed her for the death of the child even though it wasn't her fault the baby died, I believe some part of him held a distaste for her after that. I'm also sure Shoba felt the same about him for not being there. I feel like both of these issues are really the cause of the marriage falling apart. I believe that if Shukumar would have told Shoba that he had made it in time to see the baby, she would not have created the distance between them. But then again, who's to say it's not what Shukumar wanted deep down anyway? I