When Nell comes home just before dinnertime as “First Aid” opens, many readers will recognise her immediately, as I did. I first met married couple Nell and Tig in the linked collection Moral Disorder (2006). I read that collection on the subway, mornings and early evenings; the rhythm of
Reading this, the Take 30 interviewer’s comments from 1977 circled in my mind: an unrealised conversation, where declaration replaces exploration. The interviewer said the stories filled her with sadness, all those rotten situations and dismal romantic relationships; however, she mentioned no details and referenced just one story dedicated to
This is the fifth year that I’ve been reading Margaret Atwood in November, in the month of her birthday (November 18) and in every other one of those years I’ve borrowed books from the library that I did not manage to read. This year, I selected only two books
The house across the street has a single row of clear white lights along the eaves and it’s built close to the ground, cabin-style, with trees on all sides. Behind it, the trees erupt out of Shield rock that is nearly as tall as the apartment building in the
Now there is snow covering everything, and the cold is bitter even when the sun is shining, so I read this week’s story and lecture inside, under an afghan, tucked into the corner of one of the warmer rooms (saving the warmest for later winter months—like being in training,
