The 8 List: Short Stories

Saturday, 18 May 2013

#1  WE SO SELDOM LOOK ON LOVE by Barbara Gowdy

Cadavers. Voyeurism. Abnormal love.

#2  MAD HOPE by Heather Birrell

Personality. Connection. Strangeness.

#3  HATESHIP, FRIENDSHIP, COURTSHIP, LOVESHIP, MARRIAGE by Alice Munro

Enemies. Friends. Love.

#4  BLOODLETTING & MIRACULOUS CURES by Vincent Lam

Doctors. Students. Relationships.

#5  LOOSE END by Ivan E. Coyote

Equality. Comedy. Reality.

#6  THE BLOODY CHAMBER by Angela Carter

Fairy tales. Feminism. Horror.

#7  STONES by Timothy Findley

The 1980s. Family. Everyday life.

#8  WINESBURG, OHIO by Sherwood Anderson

Small town life. Cycle. Solitaire.

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On the Shelf: The Bloody Chamber

Wednesday, 10 April 2013

I want to try incorporating reviews of older books that I love on I Believe In Story because, although it's awesome to promote new releases that I enjoy, I also want to share some great classics that other readers may not have encountered. While this book was first published in 1979, it's an absolute favourite and should be a staple on many bookshelves.

From familiar fairy tales and legends - Red Riding Hood, Bluebeard, Puss-in-Boots, Beauty and the Beast, vampires, werewolves - Angela Carter has created an absorbing collection of dark, sensual, fantastic stories.

Exactly as the description says, The Bloody Chamber is a collection of short stories that are inspired by classic fairy tales. Believe it or not, Carter crafts these tales into something even darker than the originals and adds yet another level of social, moral, and ethical issues to the lesson-filled stories.

I first picked up the collection when it was an assigned reading for a class on ghost stories and horror literature. I am a huge fan of short stories in general, but it will appeal to readers who aren't necessarily interested in that genre. If you like fantasy or paranormal elements, this book will not disappoint. The collection is also laced with feminist beliefs, exploring the roles of personality, sexuality, and individuality - and how all three of these things intersect with one another.

The Bloody Chamber is both a creative spin on well-loved tales and a new look at the issue of forming an identity as one battles expectations from within and from the outside world. My favourite stories in the collection are "The Snow Child" (it's only one page), "The Werewolf," and "Wolf-Alice." My copy of The Bloody Chamber is well-loved; the pages are filled with comments and excerpts are highlighted and underlined. It's truly an inventive, unique, and meaningful collection.

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On the Shelf: One In Every Crowd

Tuesday, 22 January 2013

ONE IN EVERY CROWD | IVAN E. COYOTE | ARSENAL PULP PRESS | 2012

Comprised of new stories and others culled from previous collections, One in Every Crowd is for anyone who has ever felt different or alone in their struggle to be true to themselves. Included are stories about Ivan''s own tomboy past in Canada''s north, where playing hockey and wearing pants were the norm; and about her adult life in the big city, where she encounters both cruelty and kindness in unexpected places. Then there are the tales of family and friends who live their lives by example, like Francis, the curly-haired little boy who likes to wear dresses, and the brave kids she meets at queer youth camp.

The introduction in this short story collection should be photocopied and distributed to every adolescent on the planet. It is so much more inspiring than any bullying prevention programs I've witnessed to date.

Ivan is one of my favourite storytellers. As great as Ivan's stories are written down, they are even better when performed live. I was lucky enough to listen to Ivan talk during my undergraduate degree. I attended a department launch when the Women's Studies department changed its name to Women & Gender Studies. Ivan was the writer-in-residence of the University at the time and told a few stories at the launch as the keynote speaker.

Gender studies is the focus of One In Every Crowd, similar to all of Coyote's previous work. The stories recall what it was like for Ivan to be a gay child, focusing on the struggles and triumphs that go along with not quite fitting in.

This particular book is a curated collection of Ivan's previously published stories (with a few new ones thrown in). If you're unfamiliar with Ivan's work, it would be a great collection to start with. Some of my favourite stories can be found within the pages ("Walks Like," "Saturdays and Cowboy Hats," "Imagine a Pair of Boots"). Unfortunately for me, I had already read most of the stories, which is why I didn't give the book a higher rating.

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As I said before, Ivan needs to be heard, not only read. Instead of a written excerpt, here's a video of Ivan Coyote from the Vancouver Poetry Slam (slightly NSFW).

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On the Shelf: Corporeality

Tuesday, 15 January 2013

CORPOREALITY | HOLLIS SEAMON | ABLE MUSE PRESS | JANUARY 31, 2013

In Corporeality, we meet the cat lady, the professor dealing with a plagiarist while coping with personal hardships, sibling rivalry of the unnaturally cursed kind, & the dog that goes beyond everyday dog sense and scent to protect its owners. Like her preceding collection Body Work and mystery novel Flesh, this book is a testament to Seamon's ample gifts as a storyteller. 

There's something magical about a collection of short stories. I'm always astounded to see how separate stories string together to make a complete narrative, touching on similar themes and yet standing far away enough from one another to have impact on their own. Corporeality has the type of stories that I love: short, sweet, quirky, and full of fairy tale motifs.

Unfortunately, not every story in the collection holds up to some of the better ones. It was a roller coaster ride as I stumbled my way through the stories, absolutely loving some and not caring about others. By far, my favourite of the collection is "Annus Mirabilis" which follows the narrative structure of a classic fairy tale (although the content is anything but classic). For example, in this story there may be a section entitled 'The Wolf,' but it certainly doesn't relate to a wild canine.

The way Hollis Seamon twists the fairy tale structure is inspiring. Even if you don't read the rest of the collection, I highly recommend the book if only for "Annus Mirabilis." It's an incredible short story that  is definitely worth a read.

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"We've all of us, haven't we, wished for a year of miracles? A miraculous year?

Year of restoration, year of renewal, year of renaissance. Year of marvels, marvelous year.

Yeah, right. We won't get it, we know that. Not hardly. Fat chance. As if!

That's why there are fairy tales, eh?"

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