White on white

I have searched the ends of the earth via the Internet today for a column or item that shows a glimmer of wit that might bring a smile. No such luck.
One of my favorite literary creations is John Updike’s fictional alter ego, the American Jewish novelist Henry Bech. Updike has come back to Bech off and on for the past thirty years in three books filled with stories of great wit and insight. If you have never read any of the stories, a handy overview is provided in “Review of the Complete Henry Bech.”
Updike’s publisher has made one of the Bech stories available for free on its Web site, a story from Updike’s 1982 book Bech is Back–the story “White on White.” (The Bea referred to in the first paragraph is Bech’s wife. The story immediately follows “Bech Wed.” In “White on White,” Bech and Bea have just separated.) I commend the story to your attention, for no reason other than that I think it’s funny.

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