John Updike: Wildlife

Updikes short story, "Wildlife" is about a man returning to his home town to visit his son. Since he had left 10 years ago, the town had gone down-hill. The forest is growing in, and restricting the town. The deer have become a huge problem to the citizens too. If they aren't eating from the people's gardens, they are spreading Lyme disease from the infected ticks they are carrying. The main character, Ferris, discusses how much the town has changed, but is glad to be "greeted by the familiar proportions of the buildings, the erratic layout of the streets, and unexpected souvenirs of his past."
The story is strange because Ferris offers very little emotion about the changes. The tennis court he once worked so hard on, is now littered with trash and the once pristine fences are laced with ivy. The people of the town, and Ferris' former wife have all become hippies. They don't want to kill the deer even though they are a huge problem, and don't want to cut down or remove and plants growing. Only at the end of the story does Ferris show any real emotion. He discovers symptoms of Lyme disease on his son, and quickly rushes him off to the hospital.
It was a nice story, not too exciting, but well written and enjoyable. I will be reading more of Updikes material.