Hellgoing: Stories
A short story collection that captures the lonely, strange lives of people in a small town.
Work Information
A short story collection that captures the lonely, strange lives of people in a small town.
Moving between humor and unease, the collection sharpens the emotions hidden in everyday distortions.
Book Information
- Publisher
- House of Anansi Press
- Published
- 2015-04-14
- Pages
- 240 pages
- Language
- 英語
- Size
- 13.21 x 1.52 x 20.32 cm
- ISBN-13
- 9781770893085
- ISBN-10
- 9781770893085
- Price
- 3276 JPY
- Category
- 洋書/Literature & Fiction/Short Stories/Anthologies
With astonishing range and depth, Scotiabank Giller Prize finalist Lynn Coady gives us eight unforgettable new stories, each one of them grabbing our attention from the first line and resonating long after the last. A young nun charged with talking an anorexic out of her religious fanaticism toys with the thin distance between practicality and blasphemy. A strange bond between a teacher and a schoolgirl takes on ever deeper, and stranger, shapes as the years progress. A bride-to-be with a penchant for nocturnal bondage can’t seem to stop bashing herself up in the light of day. Equally adept at capturing the foibles and obsessions of men and of women, compassionate in her humour yet never missing an opportunity to make her characters squirm, fascinated as much by faithlessness as by faith, Lynn Coady is quite possibly the writer who best captures what it is to be human at this particular moment in our history.
Lynn Coady is an award-winning author, editor, and journalist. Her previous novels include Saints of Big Harbour, which was a national bestseller and a Globe and Mail Top 100 book, and Mean Boy, a Globe and Mail Top 100 book. Her popular advice column, "Group Therapy," runs weekly in the Globe and Mail. Coady is originally from Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, and is now living in Edmonton, Alberta.
Reviews
-
Five Stars
Hilarious and insightful. Coady is a master of her craft.
-
Wow
Given to me by a friend.... No preview or expectations. And was not disappointed. All over the map! Freaky bizarre and very intriguing!! Loved it. Never knew what was coming next
-
Sharp, witty, voice-driven stories that resist quick interpretation.
I couldn't let this collection of sharp, witty, smart stories stand at three stars. No, these stories are not "easy"; their ends do not tie up everything that came before into a neat bow. For me, that's an enticement to read. I do not mind letting the stories work on me and doing my own mental work as a reader. Many of the characters are familiar to me (where they're at in their lives, the worlds they inhabit), and each story has moments of recognition--of "Yes, I know that moment or bit of human experience." Did I mention the humor? I laughed to myself or out loud each story. My favorite was the last one, "Mr. Hope" as I'm especially stunned by authors who can capture childhood/adolescence and "growing up" so well. So if you need instant gratification when you reach the end of a story, no, this collection may not be for you. If you like books that thrive on voice, are excellently written, and ask that you let their stories settle into your mind, this is more than worth a read.
-
It's ok
The book is alright, I was interested because it won Giller prize of 2013 but to my taste, I found it like an average short story collection. The stories are interesting but some of the endings were fuzzy and dangling-in-the-air. I liked the verse, it was simple yet strong but I wasn't particularly blown away by it. All in all I was happy that I read the book but wouldn't go back to it for a second read
-
Frustrating
Worth reading. Admittedly short stories are not my favourite genre, but my issue with this book was each story ended with too many questions of what was going to happened. INteresting technique but I was frustrated with it. Her writing is brilliant though. Is able to capture the essence of the characters very quickly. PMC
Related Literary Awards
- Giller Prize Edition 20 (2013) ・Winner