Summary

In “Diamonds,” the unnamed narrator leaves the city where he is living and returns to the small town where he grew up. He is an alcoholic, and his alcoholism caused him to lose his job and friends in the city. In his hometown, he stops drinking, and he begins going to Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). He finds a job as a groundskeeper and gym teacher at the high school he used to attend. One evening in December, he attends AA and listens to Mellick, an elderly man who often talks during the meetings. One of Mellick’s hands has only three fingers, as Mellick had an accident while working with a motorized saw while drunk. The narrator notices a new attendee at the AA meeting. The new attendee, Siobhán Maher, talks to the narrator. She is about the same...