The structure of Deborah Eisenberg's narratives

To give you a little sense of the way Deborah Eisenberg works her narrative short stories, here's a top-of-my-head summary of the structure of her story Merge (in her new collection, Your Duck Is My Duck): She starts with a description of a middle-aged, infirm woman (Cordis) who is waiting for someone to arrive to walk her small dog, that someone being her "assistant," a young man, Keith, who gathers her bills etc. in exchange for a meager salary. Then we follow Keith, walking the dog and bemoaning his life, which is entirely unsettled, in need of housing and a good job (he's a recent Princeton grad, from a wealthy family, father refusing to help him). Soon we get to his chance meeting in a coffee shop w/ a woman, Celeste (I think), as he strikes up a conversation, which over time leads into a relationship and she lets him live w/ her in her small apt., as he is otherwise homeless - and we learn that she gets him the job w/ Cordis, who lives in the same building. Then we learn more about her - she works as a specialist in dealing with disasters (floods, fires, etc.) - Keith says that sounds interesting, could he be part of her work - she says he'd need training but they always need volunteers, to which he thinks: Volunteer! Exactly what he did not want. (That's an ex. of DE's sharp humor). She goes to Europe for work, has to clear out of her apt. (which she's subleased), she sends him cryptic handwritten cards. Do you see how far we've come from the opening scenes, the narrative unfolding like an origami flower? Eisenberg is highly cerebral, very funny at times, and coldly analytic regarding her characters; her stories are amusing and provocative (this one involves extended discussion between K and Ce. re the origin and function of language - the story reflecting on its own material in a way) though it's hard - intentionally - to ID w/ the characters: Even when they're familiar types, as is Keith in many ways, they don't feel alive and rounded, they feel like authorial constructs designed to make or illustrate a point. (In fact I have read at least one DE short story, contrary to a note in a previous post, as I have just noted that she had a piece in the 1995 O.Henry Awards collection, in which I also had a story published.)