Riptides: New Island Fiction

by Richard Lemm (Editor), Jeff Bursey (Contributor)

A collection of 23 short stories by contemporary writers from Prince Edward Island.

Genres: Short Stories, Canada

286 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fiction writers in Prince Edward Island have lived for so long in the shadow of Lucy Maud Montgomery that it’s difficult to imagine what life out from under that shadow would look like. This anthology is not an attempt to relegate LMM to the sidelines—nor does it set out to dispel or even diminish her influence—but it does represent a confident step away from a shadow that now stretches deep into the 21st century. In these pages editor Richard Lemm (a PEI-based poet, scholar and fiction writer of some repute) has assembled a bold collection of short fiction that owes more to 20th-century dirty realism than anything else. The authors of these stories come from varied backgrounds. Some have been writing for decades; others have only recently tried their hand at fiction. Interestingly, many contributors are not native Islanders, having traveled from elsewhere to settle on PEI, or else paused for a time on the Island in their pursuit of a life somewhere else. The stories in Riptides reflect this geographical and demographic variety and are the richer for it. All of the stories are diverting and engaging and worth reading, though admittedly some are more polished than others. Standouts include Melissa Carroll’s “The Nothing,” set in a gritty urban world of menial labour, lottery tickets and sexual ambiguity, “The Subversives” by Valerie Compton, in which a man encounters a poignant reminder of a girl he had been infatuated with years earlier, and Helen Pretulak’s “Final Farewell,” in which through various machinations a woman returns to her childhood home within the contamination zone of Chornobyl. In his introduction Lemm refers to a “PEI fiction renaissance” and comments that the authors collected here have not been motivated to write in emulation of Lucy Maud Montgomery but because they have stories to tell that are personal, urgent and thoroughly modern. The sustained high quality of this collection serves as notice that there is work being produced today by PEI writers that stands very well on its own and demands our attention, and which owes nothing to Montgomery’s literary legacy.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with any anthology, what with the multiple authors, there are stories that resonate and stories that fall flat. That holds true here, but there were numerous gems and it was a treat to discover so many Island literary talents in one source. Favourite stories included Suffering Fools by Thomas O'Grady, The Nothing by Melissa Carroll, To the Haunting Laugh of a Kookaburra by Ruth Mischler, Final Farewell by Helen Pretulak, A Torch Did Touch His Heart, Briefly by Jeff Bursey, and especially At the Red Light by Bonnie Stewart and The Enlightenment Tour by Malcolm Murray.

[Sweetmongoose · Rating 4 out of 5]

23 short stories by Prince Edward Island writers comprise this book. The stories are varied and all are engaging in one way or another. Some are set in PEI but most are set elsewhere. Some are funny and others are tense. A good read!

[Susana · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a resident of PEI and Canada I throughly enjoyed this book. A real pleasure and variety of voices.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some really good stories at the beginning, and I also enjoyed the two at the end, but there were a few in the middle that didn't really keep my attention

[Maryetta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book. I bought it after meeting one of the authors Glenna Jenkins.