Preferred lies: A collection of short stories

by Wayne Curtis

A series of well-crafted stories that draw on the magic and mystery of New Brunswicks's big river, the Miramichi.

137 pages, softcover

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Paula Dembeck · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of thirteen stories set in the Maritimes, all based on a similar theme: the lies people tell themselves and others about who they believe themselves to be. It has a melancholy tone, filled with a sense of loneliness. The people in these tales face life passively and although some see their lives through clear eyes, few take positive steps to make changes. That in itself may be a truer reflection of the lives of most ordinary people rather than what is often portrayed in fiction. People wait for something to happen, for somehow, life to “fix itself”.

The various stories maintain a tone of delusion and regret, whether it tells the story of a man seeking comfort from a prostitute (White Night), another struggling with his love for a married woman (The Fight), an attempt to turn casual sex into something more meaningful (The Burn), falsified stories sent back home to family (Outside the Family), or the failure to communicate as a marriage ends (The Coast). Each shares a theme of mistaken impressions as characters deceive themselves about who they are and what they need in life.

Curtis has been criticized for his failure to show rather than tell his stories, with the suggestion that flashbacks or dialogue could have circumvented the problem.

These stories are sad and filed with regret, creating a dark tone for the collection, reflecting more life as it is, rather than the world its characters want it to be.