The Shoreline at Sunset [short story]

Not every story can be great, even if the writer is — and Bradbury certainly was. This one is good, but a lighter piece. Yet beneath the nearly whimsical tone is something a shade more ambiguous, because there is something that ties these two men together that we aren’t quite sure about. Perhaps it is inferred at the beginning, but only in a vague, suggestive manner.

I really can’t reveal much at all about this one, because it’s a one-note tale, at least on the surface. Something two young boys discover on the beach will lead to an almost melancholy conclusion. The short story moves quickly, and is worth reading, it’s just hard to pin it down as this or that — which is another way of saying this is a Bradbury tale.

Perhaps the show more best part is imagining the phone call from the two young boys, years in the future, wanting to confirm that what they remembered finding as kids, really happened. Worth a read, because it’s Bradbury, but not as memorable as many others in his massive oeuvre. show less