The Bigger the Better?

Quick Review of
Fat Woman
by Leon Rooke

One of the biggies of Canadian Literature, Leon Rooke; since I'd never read him I just wrapped my arms around Fat Woman, a slim novel. This is a simple story, a woman has put on too much weight, her wedding ring is turning her finger purple and her arm is swelling. Her husband may or may not be in the process of getting fired from his job. She refused to see a doctor. At the beginning the husband is seen nailing up the bedroom window, at the end it is clear he means to lock her in to force a weight loss. It's a plot that probably won't make Oprah's list for more than one reason. The simplicty of the writing is wonderful. It's straightforward, spinning out of a literal her and now only a few times (which I appreciate but I know many people do not). Mostly it's grit-slang peppered with wonderful similes. We follow the Ella Mae throughout one day and as each small event happens her mind spins into stories about her past and her childhood. It's the story of Jack Sprat and his wife when Jack gets sick of her obesity. Or better, it's the white trash version of Mrs. Dalloway, which to think of it this way is quite humorous. Ella Mae swings thorugh moods as fast as she crams cookies into her mouth, justifying, lamenting, hoping, caterwauling, and generally trying to make things work. For a first novel this is pretty impressive. It may not be particularly deep but it's highly collequial and tons of fun. Try it: nothing ventured nothing gained.

Remember this

The primary purpose of the work of art
is to provide rules within which a given meaning can operate.

Best Short Stories

I was sent a short story by my friend Julie Marden, an up and coming writer and another by Bill Austin, another Calgary based writer. Both were really wonderful to read. It's great to see people forming style and voice.

That said I'm really here today to unequivocally tout the person I think is the best short story writer out there. Yeah, tough to say, problematic, probably wrong. Still I've been reading Joy Williams again, and you know there is something I must be missing. She's entirely straightforward but nothing thrills me. I'm beginning to question why she gets every MFA graduand gushing. So, the person not getting the press and who I think tops the list is Leonard Michaels, 1933-2003.

I've spoken of him before but I'm still reading him. Every time I pick up the book of his stories and read an old or new one, I just flip out. They are amazing pieces of writing: brilliant, sharp, speedy, unexpected, smart, and crafted to precision. They blow nearly everyone out of the water. End of short story. I can't laud him enough.

Reading them gets me thinking that maybe there are too many books on how to write short stories out there, that maybe this is why stories today are so conventional. Tackle a problem 3x, build to a moment of revelation, and so on, the rules have formed a norm. Frankly it gets dull.

Take my prescription: go out and buy the collected stories of Leonard Michaels, NOW. Sit down and read it. Read it again. Now think about why he has not changed the overall nature of short story writing.

There is some information about him on then net. Poke around at wikipedia and follow the links at the bottom of the page.