Book description
Kingston writer Richard Cumyn's second book of short stories is a
remarkable collection of fiction about the curse of
modernity--displacement. In striking scenes Cumyn subtly explores our
own sense of abandonment and loneliness in the face of change,
movement and loss. Cumyn's prose is sparse and direct, the violence
supressed beneath the surface casual and foreboding. His characters
are at once familiar and eerily distinct, their relationships a tender
blend of heartbreak and affection. Separations achieved through
illness, betrayal, aging, necessity, choice or dismissal represent an
emotional x-ray of a society looking for permanence in an increasingly
fluid and precarious world. This collection will haunt you like a
shadow creeping over a suburban street-- all the landmarks appear
familiar but each door leads to unimagined worlds. Great stories await there.
Richard Cumyn was born in Ottawa and has degrees in english and
education from Queen's University. He is the fiction editor for The
Antigonish Review and has published four collections of short
fiction: The Limit of Delta Y over Delta X (Goose Lane), I
Am Not Most Places (Beach Holme), Viking Brides (Oberon),
and The Obstacle Course (Oberon). Cumyn's short stories have
appeared in many Canadian literary publications, including The
Journey Prize Anthology. He lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
