Counterparts (short story) Counterparts (short story) "Counterparts" is a short story by James Joyce published in his 1914 collection "Dubliners". The story recounts an evening in the life of a man named Farrington, frequently referred to simply as "the man". Farrington’s difficulties begin at his clerical job when his boss -- whom he addresses as "Mr. Alleyne" -- berates him for not having finished an assignment. Instead of applying himself immediately to the task, the alcoholic Farrington slips out of the office for a quick "g.p." (glass of plain porter). When Alleyne yells at Farrington again, Farrington replies with an impertinent remark and
The Refugees (short story collection) The Refugees (short story collection) The Refugees is a 2017 short story collection by Viet Thanh Nguyen. It is Nguyen's first published short story collection and his first book after winning the Pulitzer Prize for "The Sympathizer". The eight-story, 209-page collection was published by Grove Atlantic in February 2017. An unnamed ghostwriter takes up a job to write a memoir about Victor, a man who is struck with survivor guilt. Living with her mother, the ghostwriter often listens to her mother's ghost stories about people she knew in her past; one of the recurring stories regards her deceased older brother.