A foreign student living in an attic apartment observes his elderly neighbors, including an old man whom he sees standing in the window across the street with a gun and with whom he forms an obsession.
This is a good introduction to Budi Darma’s “Bloomington” stories, touching on the themes of loneliness, isolation, and awkwardness that run through all of the stories in this collection. It’s also an interesting glimpse into some off the oddities of American life – notably yard work and hand guns – through an observant visitor’s eyes.