Structure

The short story “Loose Change” by Andrea Levy presents a single event in the life of a female narrator: her encounter with an immigrant girl from Uzbekistan who needs a place to sleep. 

The story starts in medias res with the narrator stating: “I AM NOT IN the habit of making friends of strangers. I'm a Londoner. Not even little grey-haired old ladies passing comment on the weather can shame a response from me.” (p. 1, ll. 1-3) This abrupt opening line has two functions: It serves as...