Having had such a difficult relationship with her mother, Mavis Gallant must have hoped for more from her father. But think of the separateness of the child and father in “Wing’s Chips” (a story with outward similarities to some of Gallant’s childhood experiences). And the outright conflict in “The Rejection”. She
This bundle of books, with the Canadian Reading Challenge in mind (this, the eleventh year, hosted by The Indextrious Reader, with sign-ups for the twelfth year now posted), was particularly delectable. I love the idea of telling the story of a life in a way that feels true, whether
What aspect of any single day makes for a good story? A rainy day or otherwise? "Foreign papers exaggerate; Stefan’s mother sent him such anxious letters from Berlin! He would write tonight and tell her not to worry. Nothing was as serious as it seemed from the outside. Moreover, his
Research for Eowyn Ivey's new book took her into the heart of Alaska and onto the Copper River, described here, long before the draft was complete and bound and the book published. Little Brown and Company Hachette, 2016 Official publication day is today, the launch in Palmer, Alaska. On the page, the
"I've always conceived of language as music," says Tomson Highway: musician, playwright, novelist. "I play Chopin still, but in Cree," he continues. Then, more than a decade later, it is as though he continues this conversation, in A Tale of Monstrous Extravagance. This slim volume is subtitled on "Imagining Multilingualism", which
