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Sleeping Funny
Sleeping Funny is that rare book--a debut that introduces us to a fully mature writer, one who instantly draws you in with her lean style, empathy and wit, and keeps you reading, with growing admiration and delight, from first page to last. These stories showcase Miranda Hill's astonishing range and virtuosity, introducing us to a protean variety of characters, each as well-realized as the next. Here is a writer who can seamlessly inhabit the consciousness of a sixteen-year-old navigating an embarrassing sex-ed class, a middle-aged minister experiencing a devastating crisis of faith in a 19th century rural village, a pilot's widow coping with her grief by growing an unusual "victory garden" during World War II, and well-heeled modern professional women juggling jobs, kids, and husbands, and trying to cope with the arrival of a beautiful bohemian neighbour, on a gentrified street in downtown Toronto.
The qualities that unite these remarkable stories are a pervasive sense of mystery and magic, a wonderful wit and sophistication, and most surprisingly, the slight disorientation implied by the In Miranda Hill's beguiling universe, the "real world" is recognizable and slightly askew, as if you were experiencing one of those strange dreams where you think you are awake--or as if you've been "sleeping funny" and are on the cusp of waking into the everyday world you thought you knew.
The qualities that unite these remarkable stories are a pervasive sense of mystery and magic, a wonderful wit and sophistication, and most surprisingly, the slight disorientation implied by the In Miranda Hill's beguiling universe, the "real world" is recognizable and slightly askew, as if you were experiencing one of those strange dreams where you think you are awake--or as if you've been "sleeping funny" and are on the cusp of waking into the everyday world you thought you knew.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published September 18, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
May 23, 2013
I picked up this book feeling rather jealous. Miranda went to my high school and was an aquaintance of mine. Seeing as "be published" is on my bucket list (I really hate that term - have to come up with an alternate name), I grit my teeth as I read her acknowledgements and her dedication. Perhaps my jealousy had more to do with her jacket picture - still looking as great as she did in high school. Regardless, though I was prepared to hate the book out of sheer spite, I found myself liking her style - reminiscent of Alice Munro, with strong characters and situations. Definitely worth the read.
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January 28, 2024I won’t give a star rating since I skipped a few stories. I thoroughly enjoyed Precious (it will stick with me forever), Apple (oddly quirky comedic relief), and Sleeping Funny (a great way to end the collection and a commentary on grief and growth). The title Sleeping Funny references the state between “the recognizable and slightly askew”, “on the cusp of waking from a daydream”. I think the stories I read accomplish that.
October 6, 2012
We turn the pages back. Carlos says Gibson is pale so that the light can shine through him. Micheline says he needs a little more sun. She will take him to Florida, she says, when he is well enough to stand the drive. To me, he looks as vulnerable as those girls in high school whose hips jutted up against the pocket rivets of their jeans. The ones everyone always tiptoed around: a fracture waiting to happen. The world pressed in closer on those among us who were cushioned by flesh, as if that offered sufficient protection. Despite the skin and the veins, Gibson has hands that look big and capable. They look like hands that could have hung on. But there are things you can’t know from looking.
The first time my husband hit me, we were in the bathroom, so it was hard to tell whether the darker bruise was from Cy’s hand or from the edge of the sink I hit going down. I felt across the floor to see if I would find blood, but the tiles were dry. When I pulled myself up, I held onto the vanity and stood in front of the mirror as long as I could. The red was spreading under my skin, my cheek, and my forehead was swelling. It looked like it should hurt. I couldn’t even remember Cy’s fist on me. It was as if something had pushed its way out from the inside like a latent cancer. “This is how I look as a beaten woman,” I said. I tried it on like a uniform, and felt it settle on me like something I was always meant to wear.
***
An interesting thing happened to me while reading Miranda Hill’s debut collection, Sleeping Funny. I started to envision a small town in the middle of nowhere, like something out of a Tim Burton film: prim and precise, every hedge cut to the same height with the same car parked in the same driveway of every cardboard cutout house. The town changed as the years passed—from Gothic nineteenth century underpinnings, to post-World War II a flag-in-every-shop patriotism, to more modern day aesthetic flavours—yet remained forever apart, an island unto itself, carved from the world. The nine stories collected in this book are tinged with slightly off-colour characters—exaggerations, islands of their own neither here nor there, but relatable all the same.
In “The Variance”, an infection is moving through Glenmount Crescent, a Pleasantville stand-in of hyphenated this-meets-that families, white picket fences, and crab apples littering lawns and sidewalks. Michal, the matriarch of the recently moved-in Revivo-Smitherman family, is an albatross—an “other” who represents what Imogene and Adelaide and other mothers in the neighbourhood fear most: change.
“Apple” is about sex. Not just sex, but the worst sex a teenager can imagine: parental sex. Possibly the most magical story of the collection, the titular Apple is forced to bear witness to unending images of her parents and the parents of classmates engaged in intercourse. Going deeper (pun not intended), “Apple” is about the teenage imagination regarding sex, and beyond sex, the idea of procreation—romanticizing and planning the moment, not wishing one’s existence and self worth to be the result of a mere act of lust but of careful, calculated planning.
“Petitions to St. Chronic” is one of the strongest stories in this collection—it also happens to be the story that won Hill the Journey Prize. It’s a beautiful, lyrical piece mapping the parallels between severe depression and suicide, and acquiescence and spousal abuse: exploring the scars that are not so readily seen—not before it’s too late.
Following such a strong tale is unfortunately one of the weakest of the lot: “6:19”. A simple tale of a government employee tired of his hum drum routine, fantasizing about the seemingly idyllic existence of a woman who is not his wife tending a garden that is not his own as he watches from the window of his stopped train. On one hand, the main character is emotionally uninteresting—but on the other hand, such emotional reticence could be argued as a deliberate tactic, to further illustrate his inaction and how it has helped settle him into a life he no longer desires. Whatever the intent, I felt kept at arm’s length throughout this entry.
“Because of Geraldine” is a story of regrets, of second-bests in love and settling for a life that offers a great deal—a family, kids and a wife and love and happiness—but is missing that small taste of something… special. Because, “Maybe only those things that were left behind felt sad. Maybe our father would feel it too. And I tried to imagine what it would be like to be his second biggest regret.”
“Precious” is far and away the strongest of the collected stories. Both moving and unnerving, it depicts in much the same way as the aforementioned “Petitions to St. Chronic” scars that are nigh impossible to see. It is about expectations versus reality: the all-too common crime of parents, playing favourites with their children, harbouring unfair expectations on their offspring before they can even begin to realize their potential. The narrative alludes to the first-born, Alex, as being deficient in some way—disappointment accentuated when the impossibly perfect Kristi-Anne is brought into his world and he is pushed into the shadows, deliberately forgotten by his parents to disastrous results. The story’s final moments and the unexpected tragedy spurned from parental neglect offer the most emotionally accomplished beats the book has to offer.
In “Digging For Thomas”, a mother looks after her son following the war-time death of her husband in a small community where everyone knows everyone, and the death of a single person casts ripples from one end of the town to the other. Contrasting with “Precious” and “Petitions to St. Chronic”, the mother in “Digging For Thomas” is scarred, visibly, for all to see, though there is not a cut anywhere on her. The tragedy she’s endured is known and understood by all, though commentary—and eye contact—is kept at a minimum, as if death were an indecency better left unspoken.
“Rise: A Requiem” is the most unconventional, and also the most ineffective story in the collection. Written as the 1889 testimony of Enoch Carlisle, former Reverend of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, the story details horrors done in the name of medicine that might be construed as villainy, or as a miracle without explanation. Either way, the theme presented is a foreboding one: the apocalypse is a mortal life, and the greater of evils belongs to men.
“Sleeping Funny” follows a Lorelei and Rory Gilmore-like mother-daughter pair: the still-clinging-to-the-past Clea, and her self-sustaining child, Minnie, who is clearly Clea’s emotional rock. Leaving a never-ending string of dead fish in her wake, Clea has allowed her life to lapse into a coma following the death of her father. When elements of her past force her to examine mistakes and choices made, Clea learns that though she has not necessarily moved on from her past, her past has moved on from her, and it’s up to her whether or not she wants to catch up with it and start living her life again.
Hill’s writing is, to use one of my favourite words, layered. Her imagery is strong throughout this collection; every sentence has a purpose, a reason for existing. Everything about the stories presented in Sleeping Funny feels carefully constructed, as if little was left to chance. The consequence of that, whether intentional or not, is the previously mentioned island effect: the feeling that these stories exist in a highly manicured world of visual cues and delicate, premeditated aesthetic choices. Keep in mind this is by no means a complaint. Sleeping Funny is one of the strongest short story collections I’ve read this year. Hill’s choices, however careful they may or may not have been, go a fair distance in creating the feeling of a historical artefact—a village tome united by its scars, by its resistance to change, throughout time. Even “6:19” and “Rise: A Requiem”, though not the strongest narratives in the collection, are engaging, textured examinations of individuals in strange, potentially unexplainable circumstances. However, it is on the strength of “The Variance”, “Petitions to St. Chronic”, “Precious”, and “Sleeping Funny” that this collection receives my utmost recommendation.
The first time my husband hit me, we were in the bathroom, so it was hard to tell whether the darker bruise was from Cy’s hand or from the edge of the sink I hit going down. I felt across the floor to see if I would find blood, but the tiles were dry. When I pulled myself up, I held onto the vanity and stood in front of the mirror as long as I could. The red was spreading under my skin, my cheek, and my forehead was swelling. It looked like it should hurt. I couldn’t even remember Cy’s fist on me. It was as if something had pushed its way out from the inside like a latent cancer. “This is how I look as a beaten woman,” I said. I tried it on like a uniform, and felt it settle on me like something I was always meant to wear.
***
An interesting thing happened to me while reading Miranda Hill’s debut collection, Sleeping Funny. I started to envision a small town in the middle of nowhere, like something out of a Tim Burton film: prim and precise, every hedge cut to the same height with the same car parked in the same driveway of every cardboard cutout house. The town changed as the years passed—from Gothic nineteenth century underpinnings, to post-World War II a flag-in-every-shop patriotism, to more modern day aesthetic flavours—yet remained forever apart, an island unto itself, carved from the world. The nine stories collected in this book are tinged with slightly off-colour characters—exaggerations, islands of their own neither here nor there, but relatable all the same.
In “The Variance”, an infection is moving through Glenmount Crescent, a Pleasantville stand-in of hyphenated this-meets-that families, white picket fences, and crab apples littering lawns and sidewalks. Michal, the matriarch of the recently moved-in Revivo-Smitherman family, is an albatross—an “other” who represents what Imogene and Adelaide and other mothers in the neighbourhood fear most: change.
“Apple” is about sex. Not just sex, but the worst sex a teenager can imagine: parental sex. Possibly the most magical story of the collection, the titular Apple is forced to bear witness to unending images of her parents and the parents of classmates engaged in intercourse. Going deeper (pun not intended), “Apple” is about the teenage imagination regarding sex, and beyond sex, the idea of procreation—romanticizing and planning the moment, not wishing one’s existence and self worth to be the result of a mere act of lust but of careful, calculated planning.
“Petitions to St. Chronic” is one of the strongest stories in this collection—it also happens to be the story that won Hill the Journey Prize. It’s a beautiful, lyrical piece mapping the parallels between severe depression and suicide, and acquiescence and spousal abuse: exploring the scars that are not so readily seen—not before it’s too late.
Following such a strong tale is unfortunately one of the weakest of the lot: “6:19”. A simple tale of a government employee tired of his hum drum routine, fantasizing about the seemingly idyllic existence of a woman who is not his wife tending a garden that is not his own as he watches from the window of his stopped train. On one hand, the main character is emotionally uninteresting—but on the other hand, such emotional reticence could be argued as a deliberate tactic, to further illustrate his inaction and how it has helped settle him into a life he no longer desires. Whatever the intent, I felt kept at arm’s length throughout this entry.
“Because of Geraldine” is a story of regrets, of second-bests in love and settling for a life that offers a great deal—a family, kids and a wife and love and happiness—but is missing that small taste of something… special. Because, “Maybe only those things that were left behind felt sad. Maybe our father would feel it too. And I tried to imagine what it would be like to be his second biggest regret.”
“Precious” is far and away the strongest of the collected stories. Both moving and unnerving, it depicts in much the same way as the aforementioned “Petitions to St. Chronic” scars that are nigh impossible to see. It is about expectations versus reality: the all-too common crime of parents, playing favourites with their children, harbouring unfair expectations on their offspring before they can even begin to realize their potential. The narrative alludes to the first-born, Alex, as being deficient in some way—disappointment accentuated when the impossibly perfect Kristi-Anne is brought into his world and he is pushed into the shadows, deliberately forgotten by his parents to disastrous results. The story’s final moments and the unexpected tragedy spurned from parental neglect offer the most emotionally accomplished beats the book has to offer.
In “Digging For Thomas”, a mother looks after her son following the war-time death of her husband in a small community where everyone knows everyone, and the death of a single person casts ripples from one end of the town to the other. Contrasting with “Precious” and “Petitions to St. Chronic”, the mother in “Digging For Thomas” is scarred, visibly, for all to see, though there is not a cut anywhere on her. The tragedy she’s endured is known and understood by all, though commentary—and eye contact—is kept at a minimum, as if death were an indecency better left unspoken.
“Rise: A Requiem” is the most unconventional, and also the most ineffective story in the collection. Written as the 1889 testimony of Enoch Carlisle, former Reverend of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, the story details horrors done in the name of medicine that might be construed as villainy, or as a miracle without explanation. Either way, the theme presented is a foreboding one: the apocalypse is a mortal life, and the greater of evils belongs to men.
“Sleeping Funny” follows a Lorelei and Rory Gilmore-like mother-daughter pair: the still-clinging-to-the-past Clea, and her self-sustaining child, Minnie, who is clearly Clea’s emotional rock. Leaving a never-ending string of dead fish in her wake, Clea has allowed her life to lapse into a coma following the death of her father. When elements of her past force her to examine mistakes and choices made, Clea learns that though she has not necessarily moved on from her past, her past has moved on from her, and it’s up to her whether or not she wants to catch up with it and start living her life again.
Hill’s writing is, to use one of my favourite words, layered. Her imagery is strong throughout this collection; every sentence has a purpose, a reason for existing. Everything about the stories presented in Sleeping Funny feels carefully constructed, as if little was left to chance. The consequence of that, whether intentional or not, is the previously mentioned island effect: the feeling that these stories exist in a highly manicured world of visual cues and delicate, premeditated aesthetic choices. Keep in mind this is by no means a complaint. Sleeping Funny is one of the strongest short story collections I’ve read this year. Hill’s choices, however careful they may or may not have been, go a fair distance in creating the feeling of a historical artefact—a village tome united by its scars, by its resistance to change, throughout time. Even “6:19” and “Rise: A Requiem”, though not the strongest narratives in the collection, are engaging, textured examinations of individuals in strange, potentially unexplainable circumstances. However, it is on the strength of “The Variance”, “Petitions to St. Chronic”, “Precious”, and “Sleeping Funny” that this collection receives my utmost recommendation.
August 19, 2013
I had no idea who Melanie Hill was when I started to read this collection except that she is the wife of the award-winning Canadian author Lawrence Hill. As I started reading Ms. Hill's stories I was astounded at how much I enjoyed them and I truly loved the outlook on life that they presented, though not always happy endings. I had to stop after a few and google her to find out if she was Catholic as she read to me like a Catholic author. Very little is available about her online but I did come across a CBC interview with her where she remarks that her work often carries the theme of miracles perhaps attributed "to being sent to Catholic school, even though my family wasn't Catholic. I was the little girl in the back pew, watching the other kids drink the wine that had been turned into blood." These stories are wonderful and while a couple fell flat with me the others were so outstanding I was entirely satisfied with this collection and can't wait to read more from the author. My favourite stories were "Because of Geraldine", "Apple" and "Rise: A Requiem (with parts for voice and wing".
1. The Variance - At sixty-two pages the first story in this collection could be called a novella as it reads like one with breaks for changes of view and passage of time. I quickly settled into the community in which this is set: the upper-middle class street of lawyers' and doctors' families with their children and nannies. Mothers who have high profile jobs but try to outdo each other with their commitments at the school to which all their children go. Everything is peaceful and the same here until the Revivo-Smithermans move in to the old Anderson house. They don't fit, especially Michal. She turns her front lawn into a garden. She has huge flyaway frizzy hair. She wears her baby in a sling. She is always home. She seems to have all the time in the world. The street at first ignores them, then feels them an irritation, until the day Michal hands out notices that she is requesting a zoning variance ... and they learn who she really is. Personally, I related most to Michal and loved her quiet effect on the neighbourhood women. She is a strong character, even though she remains mysterious and I was very satisfied with the ending. Great introduction to this author! (4/5)
2. Apple - SPOILERS. I love this so much I just have to talk about it spoilers and all. This is a bit of magical realism. The Grade 8 class usually hands out (fake) electronic babies for the class to look after as part of the Family Studies class. But they were broken this year and a new teacher took over. She did something which made the class able to see her parents in flagrante delicto at the time that she was conceived. Looking around the class every student was able to see this of the other students. Outside of the class they could see this of everyone they met. They couldn't see their own though; someone else had to tell them what they saw. Many are embarrassed, hurt or shocked by the circumstances under which they see themselves and others were conceived. The ability eventually goes away and is not discussed in class but it has lasting effects on the narrator who later chooses abstinence with her boyfriend, not trusting birth control as 100%, and "for our kid, I'd want something better." Boyfriend agrees with a smile. An "out there" story but brilliantly pro-life! (5/5)
3. Petitions to St. Chronic - A man jumps from a 24 story building and survives. It is a miracle! Three strangers gather to keep vigil at the hospital wanting to see him when he comes round: a Catholic man, a woman with a history of helping broken men and the narrator, an abused wife. Wonderful! A story of healing but not for the one you would think. Loved the religious overtones. (5/5)
4. 6:19 - A man's train pulls over every evening at 6:19 to let another train pass and while he watches out the window a woman gardening in her backyard, he starts to fantasize about her and her home. The story is really much more complicated than that and more about the man's feelings about his life, marriage, job: the worthiness and purpose of it all rather than having any plot. I just didn't like this guy and couldn't care about the story. (3/5)
5. Because of Geraldine - The eldest daughter of a couple narrates as she reflects back on her parents marriage which was always overshadowed by the father's first true love who ran away to Nashville to be a star. Then Geraldine returns one evening to play at the local legion and everything for her parents will forever be changed. Absolute sweet, pure perfection!! I can't imagine any story being better than this one. My favourite in the collection! (5/5)
6. Precious - At 49 pages this is the second longest story in the collection so far and could be called a novella by some. It is a completely compelling story. It is a sad story and one finds it hard to like the characters. Alex is seven when his baby sister is born. Alex is described as having a Picasso painted face and a twisted frame. He receives little affection from his parents but when his undeniably beautiful sister is born he is merely tolerated as long as he doesn't interfere with the sister. The mother obsesses and overprotects Kristi-Anne to such an extreme extent that she shares her room with her and the father is delegated to the couch, but the father is awed by his daughter and the new maternal instincts of the mother have made him fall in love with and respect her once again. The ending is ambiguous. It certainly is tragic for all concerned asking them realise what is truly precious in the end, but is the final event a release or tragedy for the one most concerned. Thought provoking! I still like "Because of Geraldine" better but this is still worthy of (5/5)
7. Digging for Thomas - Quite a short story this time. A woman's husband is off to war, probably WWII. She notices that his things are slowly disappearing, little things like pipe and socks and she gathers more of these items together and leaves them for "them" to take. After they receive word of his death in action, she and their little son work on a little garden which seems to represent the man's life to them. Then one not-so-fine day a big storm comes along breaking a secret and pulling apart the planted garden. One sees the characters learn to accept death for what it is. Only ok compared to the others. (3/5)
8. Rise: A Requiem (with parts for voice and wing) - Splendid! Set in the late 1800's we have a Gothic story of a minister on trial, doctors using corpses for practice, grave-robbing and the Apocalypse. What a tale. Absolutely delicious! I loved it! (5/5)
9. Sleeping Funny - A woman returns to her small home town after fleeing from it to Vancouver to have a baby out of wedlock. She's always made excuses not to return. Her mother's died and now her father is so ill, she finally must return to look after him for his final time, however long that will be. Her young daughter becomes attached to Grampa, reading him stories, but eventually he dies and now the house has been inherited by the daughter. A story of running away from home is really one of running from oneself, and upon returning one doesn't have to deal so much with what was left behind but with who the person was when they were running and coming to terms with the problem that still exists never going away until she came back to face it. A nice story, I enjoyed the characters very well, especially the daughter Melanie, but I did find my mind wandered through the reading. Probably the weakest story in the collection. (2.5/5)
1. The Variance - At sixty-two pages the first story in this collection could be called a novella as it reads like one with breaks for changes of view and passage of time. I quickly settled into the community in which this is set: the upper-middle class street of lawyers' and doctors' families with their children and nannies. Mothers who have high profile jobs but try to outdo each other with their commitments at the school to which all their children go. Everything is peaceful and the same here until the Revivo-Smithermans move in to the old Anderson house. They don't fit, especially Michal. She turns her front lawn into a garden. She has huge flyaway frizzy hair. She wears her baby in a sling. She is always home. She seems to have all the time in the world. The street at first ignores them, then feels them an irritation, until the day Michal hands out notices that she is requesting a zoning variance ... and they learn who she really is. Personally, I related most to Michal and loved her quiet effect on the neighbourhood women. She is a strong character, even though she remains mysterious and I was very satisfied with the ending. Great introduction to this author! (4/5)
2. Apple - SPOILERS. I love this so much I just have to talk about it spoilers and all. This is a bit of magical realism. The Grade 8 class usually hands out (fake) electronic babies for the class to look after as part of the Family Studies class. But they were broken this year and a new teacher took over. She did something which made the class able to see her parents in flagrante delicto at the time that she was conceived. Looking around the class every student was able to see this of the other students. Outside of the class they could see this of everyone they met. They couldn't see their own though; someone else had to tell them what they saw. Many are embarrassed, hurt or shocked by the circumstances under which they see themselves and others were conceived. The ability eventually goes away and is not discussed in class but it has lasting effects on the narrator who later chooses abstinence with her boyfriend, not trusting birth control as 100%, and "for our kid, I'd want something better." Boyfriend agrees with a smile. An "out there" story but brilliantly pro-life! (5/5)
3. Petitions to St. Chronic - A man jumps from a 24 story building and survives. It is a miracle! Three strangers gather to keep vigil at the hospital wanting to see him when he comes round: a Catholic man, a woman with a history of helping broken men and the narrator, an abused wife. Wonderful! A story of healing but not for the one you would think. Loved the religious overtones. (5/5)
4. 6:19 - A man's train pulls over every evening at 6:19 to let another train pass and while he watches out the window a woman gardening in her backyard, he starts to fantasize about her and her home. The story is really much more complicated than that and more about the man's feelings about his life, marriage, job: the worthiness and purpose of it all rather than having any plot. I just didn't like this guy and couldn't care about the story. (3/5)
5. Because of Geraldine - The eldest daughter of a couple narrates as she reflects back on her parents marriage which was always overshadowed by the father's first true love who ran away to Nashville to be a star. Then Geraldine returns one evening to play at the local legion and everything for her parents will forever be changed. Absolute sweet, pure perfection!! I can't imagine any story being better than this one. My favourite in the collection! (5/5)
6. Precious - At 49 pages this is the second longest story in the collection so far and could be called a novella by some. It is a completely compelling story. It is a sad story and one finds it hard to like the characters. Alex is seven when his baby sister is born. Alex is described as having a Picasso painted face and a twisted frame. He receives little affection from his parents but when his undeniably beautiful sister is born he is merely tolerated as long as he doesn't interfere with the sister. The mother obsesses and overprotects Kristi-Anne to such an extreme extent that she shares her room with her and the father is delegated to the couch, but the father is awed by his daughter and the new maternal instincts of the mother have made him fall in love with and respect her once again. The ending is ambiguous. It certainly is tragic for all concerned asking them realise what is truly precious in the end, but is the final event a release or tragedy for the one most concerned. Thought provoking! I still like "Because of Geraldine" better but this is still worthy of (5/5)
7. Digging for Thomas - Quite a short story this time. A woman's husband is off to war, probably WWII. She notices that his things are slowly disappearing, little things like pipe and socks and she gathers more of these items together and leaves them for "them" to take. After they receive word of his death in action, she and their little son work on a little garden which seems to represent the man's life to them. Then one not-so-fine day a big storm comes along breaking a secret and pulling apart the planted garden. One sees the characters learn to accept death for what it is. Only ok compared to the others. (3/5)
8. Rise: A Requiem (with parts for voice and wing) - Splendid! Set in the late 1800's we have a Gothic story of a minister on trial, doctors using corpses for practice, grave-robbing and the Apocalypse. What a tale. Absolutely delicious! I loved it! (5/5)
9. Sleeping Funny - A woman returns to her small home town after fleeing from it to Vancouver to have a baby out of wedlock. She's always made excuses not to return. Her mother's died and now her father is so ill, she finally must return to look after him for his final time, however long that will be. Her young daughter becomes attached to Grampa, reading him stories, but eventually he dies and now the house has been inherited by the daughter. A story of running away from home is really one of running from oneself, and upon returning one doesn't have to deal so much with what was left behind but with who the person was when they were running and coming to terms with the problem that still exists never going away until she came back to face it. A nice story, I enjoyed the characters very well, especially the daughter Melanie, but I did find my mind wandered through the reading. Probably the weakest story in the collection. (2.5/5)
January 25, 2013
Why was this book even published? Could it have anything to do with the fact that she's married to Lawrence Hill?
Barring any conspiracy theories, I would imagine that it was published for those 20-or-30-somethings who have a lot of time to kill at the doctor's office and need to find a little time-waster. The prose is clean and straightforward and easy to read -- but it is so uninspired as to make it a real snoozer. Perfect for pre-op situations.
The book jacket promises intelligence and humour that "...keeps you reading with growing admiration and delight." The jacket also promises that the writer has an uncanny ability to inhabit the voice of a teenager, of a middle-aged country minister of the last century and of a young pilot's widow in WWII all the while making it sound, and feel like she "owns" the voice. Ummm ... ok. If the jacket says it's so, then it must be so.
To me, everyone sounded the same, and the 40-something professionals sounded exactly like the angst-ridden sex-crazed teenagers who sounded exactly like the hand-wringing soul-searching mother in the last story of the book. No subtleties here.
Why do I then assign it 2 (astronomical) stars -- pun intended. For what it is -- and not what it purports to be -- it is good copy that can be found in any Chatelaine or Canadian Living mag -- and helps to pass the time at any given professional's (or tradesman's ) office in English-speaking countries.
Barring any conspiracy theories, I would imagine that it was published for those 20-or-30-somethings who have a lot of time to kill at the doctor's office and need to find a little time-waster. The prose is clean and straightforward and easy to read -- but it is so uninspired as to make it a real snoozer. Perfect for pre-op situations.
The book jacket promises intelligence and humour that "...keeps you reading with growing admiration and delight." The jacket also promises that the writer has an uncanny ability to inhabit the voice of a teenager, of a middle-aged country minister of the last century and of a young pilot's widow in WWII all the while making it sound, and feel like she "owns" the voice. Ummm ... ok. If the jacket says it's so, then it must be so.
To me, everyone sounded the same, and the 40-something professionals sounded exactly like the angst-ridden sex-crazed teenagers who sounded exactly like the hand-wringing soul-searching mother in the last story of the book. No subtleties here.
Why do I then assign it 2 (astronomical) stars -- pun intended. For what it is -- and not what it purports to be -- it is good copy that can be found in any Chatelaine or Canadian Living mag -- and helps to pass the time at any given professional's (or tradesman's ) office in English-speaking countries.
September 27, 2012
This was my first Goodreads giveaway and it was an excellent gift. I don't normally buy short story collections, so my initial reaction upon learning that Sleeping Funny was a collection of stories was not that enthusiastic. However, much to my surprise,one story after another drew me in. Each of the nine stories in the collection is completely different from the others - different characters, different time period, different tensions - but I cared about them all and read quickly to find out how each story would turn out. I have discovered another wonderful Canadian author; you can be sure I will be talking about Miranda Hill to my college students this fall.
July 14, 2025
Sleeping Funny by Miranda Hill is a beautifully written short story collection. Smooth as silk, the wordsmithing effortlessly eases you into the lives of her characters. Nine highly polished stories (two are novella length) seduce the reader with their careful use of language, character development and description. The full breadth of human emotion is explored in this accomplished set of pieces, including stories of mothering, macabre voyeurism after a suicide attempt, Catholic guilt, emotional infidelity, marriage, sibling rivalry, grief, and the trials of the sandwich generation. Recommended.
February 5, 2017
My favourite story was Precious, about the storied and untouchable Kristi-Anne. She's beloved compared to her older brother Alex, yet when Alex leaves in a blue car, she's envious of him, which shows that happiness is in the eye of the beholder. I also wondered if she was really as revered as the story let on, or if it was unreliable narration.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 19, 2022
The first story hooked me instantly: evocative by implication, full of empathy, a real study of human nature. Most of the other stories I found fine through good, and then some I actually hated, or at least I hated the people depicted. Maybe that's a skill in itself, to be able to provoke such strong and varied reactions in a reader.
October 22, 2019
Clearly has a confident way with words and her short stories leave the reader with a moment to imagine what else happens in the world of those characters....it's sometimes nice to be left wanting more!
August 25, 2017
Beautifully written. Thoroughly unlikeable characters.
April 5, 2018
These stories are deeply touching and full of magic. Can’t wait to read more from Miranda!
March 13, 2022
This was definitely a bit of an eclectic read. I enjoyed Precious and Sleeping Funny, but some of the stories like 6:19 where just kind of...???
February 28, 2024
Stopped reading after half the book as I learned short stories aren't my thing. The few I read were drawn out and didn't really grab my attention.
March 28, 2024
Fabulous collection of short stories!
September 18, 2012
Sleeping Funny is the debut short story collection from Miranda Hill, and it is a fantastic read. Hill's stories are at times haunting, beautiful, whimsical, and even downright funny. She uses everyday characters and situations, with a healthy dose of magic realism, to discuss larger themes such as conformity, alienation, family, and acceptance. Hill's characters are so well developed, you feel as if you know them intimately, which is quite the accomplishment considering the limitations of short fiction. I think it may be one of the best short fiction collections I have read since graduate school.
The only thing that bothered me was the way the collection was organized. I do not think the collection should lead with "The Variance," as it is a complicated story that did not make me enthusiastic to read the rest of the work. Other stories such as "Petitions to St. Chronic" and "6:19," seem more reflective of Hill's style and would be a great introduction to her writing style. That being said, going back to "The Variance" allowed me to have a better appreciation for that story.
All in all, that is a minor criticism when you consider the excellent writing and well developed narratives that await you in this collection. This book is a must for anyone who loves short fiction, and I would highly suggest that those who do not think they do should give it a try as well. A beautiful debut from a highly talented writer. I cannot wait to read Hill's future work.
The only thing that bothered me was the way the collection was organized. I do not think the collection should lead with "The Variance," as it is a complicated story that did not make me enthusiastic to read the rest of the work. Other stories such as "Petitions to St. Chronic" and "6:19," seem more reflective of Hill's style and would be a great introduction to her writing style. That being said, going back to "The Variance" allowed me to have a better appreciation for that story.
All in all, that is a minor criticism when you consider the excellent writing and well developed narratives that await you in this collection. This book is a must for anyone who loves short fiction, and I would highly suggest that those who do not think they do should give it a try as well. A beautiful debut from a highly talented writer. I cannot wait to read Hill's future work.
December 20, 2012
Such a great read! This is a collection with no filler--every story is precise, accomplished, and meticulously honed. Each is also distinct, not only in its characters and situations, but also in its tone, language, rhythms and in the ways it engages the reader. And every story is engaging: in turns, they are poignant, funny, intellectually exciting, moving, emotionally haunting. No matter where the author took me--from the most grounded of circumstances to otherworldly situations--I was like putty in her hands. Almost every time I finished a story, I thought it was my favourite... until I started reading the next one.
I found the diversity of this collection inspiring. It demonstrates brilliantly how deep immersion in one's characters and their worlds can give rise to a distinctive voice and imbue a story with authenticity--no matter what one is writing about, and even when that voice and those authentic worlds change so significantly from story to story.
SLEEPING FUNNY is an enormously satisfying read. It's a cracking good collection, all the way through.
I found the diversity of this collection inspiring. It demonstrates brilliantly how deep immersion in one's characters and their worlds can give rise to a distinctive voice and imbue a story with authenticity--no matter what one is writing about, and even when that voice and those authentic worlds change so significantly from story to story.
SLEEPING FUNNY is an enormously satisfying read. It's a cracking good collection, all the way through.
September 5, 2015
Sleeping Funny is a collection of short stories that focus on the different emotions people experience as they go through events in their lives.
I found most of these stories, despite their insistence that I be moved emotionally, to be fairly bland. There are only two stories that I felt were evocative, with one of them being the titular story, "Sleeping Funny." In fact, "Sleeping Funny" was the story I found to be the most well-written and interesting. The rest of the stories didn't feel like they worked in the way Hill wanted them to.
While I didn't find the majority of these stories worth the time, I definitely say "Sleeping Funny" is worth a look-see.
I found most of these stories, despite their insistence that I be moved emotionally, to be fairly bland. There are only two stories that I felt were evocative, with one of them being the titular story, "Sleeping Funny." In fact, "Sleeping Funny" was the story I found to be the most well-written and interesting. The rest of the stories didn't feel like they worked in the way Hill wanted them to.
While I didn't find the majority of these stories worth the time, I definitely say "Sleeping Funny" is worth a look-see.
February 25, 2013
I have to admit my bias right away as Miranda is a former student of mine. I was very impressed with her first story collection. All of the stories are very well written, but also very different from one another. She definitely is a talented writer and I am looking forward to reading her works for many years to come.
February 7, 2014
I am not a big fan of short stories, but I had to read this as part of a book club selection committee. I find that I can't invest in the characters, and often find the authors reaching too hard to add "interest". I am only giving this book 2 stars because I didn't totally hate the last two stories.
September 22, 2012
Hill's unique and dreamlike voice illustrates the ripple effect of events and/or persons introduced into an otherwise orderly life.
See my full review here - http://livinginthekitchenwithpuppies....
September 27, 2012
This is very good, the stories are unique, some great characters, overall a great book. After reading Sleeping Funny I am now a bigger fan of short stories. I wanted more of them... and I also want to know what happened to Alex?!
November 15, 2012
A great little debut collection of short stories. Quite eclectic. I wasn't overly keen on the first story in the collection, but loved all the rest. She is a remarkable writer. Keep an eye out for her!
May 19, 2013
I only read the first story before I had to return the book .... I would have kept the book, if I was a short story person, but I am not. I liked the first story okay, but not enough to keep the book longer.
April 21, 2015
apologies to the many who enjoyed these short stories (i was quite surprised at the high avg rating), I have a feeling this book wasn't meant for me. I found it very beige, or meh. Most stories were just getting interesting as they were ending, after taking a long dry time getting there.
January 31, 2016
Most of these stories are not straight-forward... the stories have surprises and twists that keep you thinking... they are obviously the result of a writer who continually asks "what if?" and then lets her imagination go, and writes it all down...
October 15, 2012
These stories are pitch-perfect! I am so impressed and am left wanting more from this newly published author!
September 2, 2012
This was the very first book I won from Goodreads First Reads. I’ve only read a few stories so far but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed them.
October 12, 2012
I loved SLEEPING FUNNY completely. Hill's range is astonishing in terms of time period, genre and voice, and there is not a single story in this collection that will disappoint.
October 24, 2012
Loved the first story, The Variance, best so far. I was sucked in from the first sentence. Also can't stop thinking about the images Apple sees in 2nd story, "Apple". Funny, smart, delicious.
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