Shoulder Season by Christina Clancy
Christina Clancy's novel 'Shoulder Season' offers readers a lot to unpack. Sherri Taylor is the novel's nineteen year old protagonist who is unsettled and bored with her teenage life and hometown of East Troy, Wisconsin. She is naive and lacking confidence in herself.
The novel opens in Palm Springs in 2019 with a 60 year old Sherri, adamant she "can't possible return" to East Troy, in spite of receiving news of a Jerry Derzon's cancer suffering. We learn that Jerry's poor health "will change things for her" and that he was "her unlikely savior all those years ago." But this is ambiguous as the character of Sherru also repeats to herself that "Jerry. Is. Sick." and "Sick, that's what Jerry is." You wouldn't think anything of this playful arrangement of words, except that the chapter ends with further mystery about an unknown character, referred to by Sherri as "her dear Arthur," and on what she describes as "that horrible day when Arthur...was suspended in the air."
The scene I imagined was not a savoury one.
The flashback story takes us back to the '80s and the Wisconsin location where Sherri Taylor is absorbed into the Playboy mansion lifestyle of sisterhood, sexual exploitation, drugs, Bunny girl etiquette and rules and money at the expense of her hometown friendship.
It was hard to like and vouch for the protagonist Sherri, since she does seem shallow in her naive attitude and the bad choices and mistakes she is well aware of making do not help her situation.
As a woman, I feel embarrassed and ashamed at the fact other fellow women felt it was worth the humiliation and demeaning of oneself for tips and for this sort of experience. As a reader, I felt pity for the poor, misguided Sherri Taylor. Yet, the story does convey some of the excitement that took place in the '80s.
I enjoyed the final descriptive chapters which gave comment on the true value of holding your hometown and memories safe. I was relieved by the resolution of the ending of this fascinating story with true historical background.
review by Christina Francis-Gilbert
Writing Magic - Creating Stories that Fly by Gail Carson Levine
This is written for children, but it's so much for than a children's book about writing!
Each of the five informative sections give friendly and helpful chapters on how to start a writing career and the various choices, hurdles and activities you might be involved in whilst working with words.
Gail Carson Levine shares her secrets of great writing including tip and guidance on writing dialogue, plotting, writing effective openings and endings, character development, staying motivated and feeding the writing urge. It's all here in this book and I loved reading Carson Levine's clever presentation from a child's perspective.
The best takeaway from her chapters is 'Save what you wrote' which is her advice to young readers at the end of each chapter and its 'Writing Time!' activities.
"..I used to think, long ago, that when I grew up, I'd remember what it felt like to be a child and that I'd always be able to get back to my child self. But I can't. When you become a teenager, you step onto a bridge. You may already be on it. The opposite shore is adulthood. Childhood lies behind you. If you save what you write, you still won't be able to cross back to childhood. But you'll be able to see yourself in that lost country. You'll be able to wave to yourself across that wide river. Whether or not you continue to write, you'll be glad to have the souvenirs of your earlier self."
review by Christina Francis-Gilbert
Runaway: Short Stories by Alice Munro
The final two stories were most memorable for me in this collection. 'Tricks' and 'Powers', though many of Munro's characters and scenarios have resonated with me.
In 'Powers', I was captured by the vulnerability of a character who has something different or unique about them that sets them apart from the crowd. It is debatable whether the character of Tessa has an ability to read the future or simply an insightful observation of people and their experiences. Whatever it is, it turns to disability in that she is pulled into a money-making scheme by her husband-to-be and ultimately she is abandoned to a care home, losing her confidence and independence. The lies and bad intentions of others who surround Tessa and her different way of seeing things builds a story in which it is uncertain who has controlled whom.
I loved 'Tricks' for its location in an old clock shop, its intriguing male characters, Shakespearean references, specific details and motifs and the more obvious twist at the end, which made the strong plot and story narrative a winner for me.
I love Alice Munro's writing style. It is direct and presents a real vision of life from the perspectives of women but also offering omniscient comment on what it is to live life at certain ages in certain circumstances.
I will be seeking out more of Alice Munro's writing. I see parallels with Elizabeth Strout, one of my favourites who has also had tremendous success with the short story genre and interconnecting character networks.
review by Christina Francis-Gilbert
