One of the best stories in the New Yorker in a long time

Maile Meloy's story in current New Yorker, Madame Lazarus, is one of the best stories I've seen in the magazine for many years. Perhaps I'm a sucker for a dog story - who isn't? - especially one about a little, demanding, loyal, peppy terrier-like puppy who in late life goes deaf and near-blind - sound familiar? - but story did more for me than bring back memories of Scruffy: it's a great story about love and loss and loneliness and aging. In short - and it is quite short - it's about an elderly man (retired banker) with a much younger male partner, who's obviously drifting away from the relationship; they get a little dog and the older man becomes primary caregiver for the dog. As the dog ages, goes through near-death experience, hence the title, then has to be "put down" by the vet, we see in a sorrowful but not maudlin way how the elderly man is increasingly alone: this woven neatly with a back story about his first gay love affair, with a young tubercular man, during WWII (story set in Paris) who dies, bleeding, in the family apartment, causing great shame to all - incident neatly covered up by a family friend - the man later marries a woman from a "good family" knowing the marriage is and will be a sham. Late in life he's on good if slightly chilly terms with ex-wife, not so good terms with sons who've moved far away. After dog's death, only person he can turn to is long-time Indonesian housekeeper; he pleads with her, somewhat pathetically, don't ever leave me. This story seemed to me very natural and true and evocative, told a lot elegantly in a very short space, touches on very deep, even tragic themes, without ever becoming maudlin or mawkish.