for consumption

George Saunders has a wonderful short story in May 28th's New Yorker. It's called "Puppy", and it's about mothers, children, pets, and the way we make decisions about these things. Bleak. Beautiful.

p.s. He also had a great story, called "the 400-pound CEO" read on a 1997 This American Life.
It's about a sad sack fatty who massacres raccoons for a living.