The Long White

by Sharon Dilworth

"Sharon Dilworth's writing is animated and sympathetic, wry and aware. Her characters are vivid and unpredictable. She is able to convey a sense of life lived in time and place with great immediacy. The reader senses a complete world in the control of the author's sensibility; it is this, I think, that establishes the excellence of her work."—Robert Stone

"The stories in Sharon Dilworth's prize-winning collection are solid as ice. . . . Dilworth writes about these people with a clean, clear understanding of the kind of cold that has crept under their skin and into their bones."—Chicago Tribune

In the sparsely settled hills of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, winter's toughness is matched only by the animosity and affection of its inhabitants for each other and for the land that unnerves them. In The Long White, Sharon Dilworth evokes a place dominated by two great lakes whose power and ferocity influence the lives of every inhabitant. The particularities of place and character come together with the clarity and exactitude of a fresh snowfall that both veils and illuminates a landscape.

204 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1988

Reviews

[Debra McCann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of short stories by Sharon Dilworth expertly imparts the inner thoughts and emotions of people stressed by love and death. Except for an errant story set in subtropical Southern Florida, the winter chill of Michigan accompanies most of the characters around their small northern towns. I would like to read a novel by this author to experience more with any of these characters. I enjoy when an author can get inside a character’s head so well.

[Linda Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I learned something, and hopefully I'll remember it. If I didn't enjoy an anthology, it's likely I won't enjoy a longer work from one of the contributors. Stories set in the the U.P of Michigan are backgrounded in my family's matriarchal stronghold. My heart is tethered in the rocks, pines and water of the northern Great Lakes. Yes, the area is cold, quiet, and maybe the people seem so, too. But it's not austere, it's not impersonal. There's no there here. The book jacket does this book a disservice as well. "Memorable in this collection is Dilworth's uncommon portrayal of the long-standing prejudice between the Finnish and Indian settlers in the Upper Peninsula..." Ah huh. Native Americans in the U.P. aren't settlers. Who writes this stuff? The story, "Mad Dog Queen" is actually downright common, and a close cousin to distasteful. A drinking contest? And a fight over a man? Ah nuts, I'm prejudiced here, too. A collection of short stories about Michigan must feel like home to me. This book feels like a stranger.