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Svanire
Vi è in ogni biografia un punto di rottura, un prima e un poi. Vi è in tutte le narrazioni una perdita di equilibrio: può accadere che qualcosa irrompa o che, come nel caso di queste 14 storie, svanisca. Come avviene a Nathan, scrittore di provincia che abbandona il suo scrittoio in soffitta, sceneggiature incompiute, domande irrisolte di chi è rimasto a casa. Così il cowboy lasciato dalla moglie viene sedotto da una ragazzina di città. Un dottore, dopo un grave lutto, si dà al black–jack. Un’indovina non riuscirà a prevedere il dolore della figlia. Che siano una gelataia con il viso coperto di lentiggini che porta il nome di Nina Simone, o l’insegnante di francese alla ricerca della libertà, i personaggi di queste storie sono come ancorati a un evento incancellabile: un vuoto con il quale camminano, respirano, convivono. La scomparsa scava il solco del dubbio: qualcosa non è andato via per sempre, è semplicemente altrove, lontano, invisibile, ma c’è, e questa presenza è un movente di straordinaria complessità. Deborah Willis, giovane talento della letteratura canadese, esplora l’assenza, le modalità con cui si abbandona o si è abbandonati e lo fa con economia di parole, nitidezza di immagini, controcampi e alternanza di punti di vista. Una scrittura sapiente e virtuosa, che racconta storie di rara intensità emotiva, non prive di humour nero, con una voce nuova ma già inconfondibile.
304 pages, Paperback
First published May 12, 2009
16 people are currently reading
1027 people want to read
About the author
Deborah Willis
5 books130 followersDeborah Willis is a writer based in Calgary, Alberta. Her first book, Vanishing and Other Stories, was shortlisted for Canada's Governor General’s Award for fiction, named one of The Globe and Mail’s top 100 books of the year, and recommended by NPR as one of the best books of 2010. Her second book, The Dark and Other Love Stories, was longlisted for the 2017 Giller Prize, won the Georges Bugnet Award for best work of fiction published in Alberta, and was named one of the best books of the year by The Globe and Mail, the CBC public broadcaster, and Chatelaine Magazine. Her fiction and non-fiction has appeared in The Walrus, The Virginia Quarterly, The Iowa Review, Lucky Peach, and Zoetrope.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
May 21, 2018
I really enjoyed this short story collection. Each story is about connections and the loss of these connections, whether it be lovers, family members or friends. The stories are about people- people who are lonely, people who feel isolated and people who really just want to connect with someone.
The author is from Calgary and some of her stories were set here . I loved knowing the places she was talking about. Obviously that is not necessary to enjoying her stories but definitely a little added bonus for me.
If you enjoy short stories, I would definitely recommend this book.
There are many beautiful lines in this book, but the following really resonated with me:
"Do you have any idea what motherhood is like? It's like taking an endless multiple-choice exam, and none of the available answers are correct."
The author is from Calgary and some of her stories were set here . I loved knowing the places she was talking about. Obviously that is not necessary to enjoying her stories but definitely a little added bonus for me.
If you enjoy short stories, I would definitely recommend this book.
There are many beautiful lines in this book, but the following really resonated with me:
"Do you have any idea what motherhood is like? It's like taking an endless multiple-choice exam, and none of the available answers are correct."
September 4, 2017
Un nucleo di vetro
Mi piacerebbe che questo libro fosse più conosciuto, perché i racconti contenuti sono bellissimi.
Le storie si svolgono in Canada e sono piacevolmente contemporanee, l'autrice è una donna giovane.
Sono racconti col buco come ciambelle, perché tutti si sviluppano attorno a un'assenza, che, paradossalmente, è solida, un nucleo di vetro trasparente o invece lattiginoso, a secondo che sia ben definita o invece più sfumata.
L'elemento mancante è in genere un familiare e l'assenza è un abbandono. Quelli che restano, non so se sia moderna rassegnazione o british fair play, spesso si trovano a fantasticare su cosa starà facendo il fuggiasco/a: viaggiando in Europa? Indossando stivali alti? Lavorando come bibliotecaria? Non c'è odio o disperazione, quanto stupore, l'idea di una mancanza che non si riesce a riempire ma con la quale bisogna convivere, di una vita da portare avanti, limitando i danni.
I racconti non sono allegri né tristi, mi hanno lasciato una bellissima sensazione di luce e di spazio, l'idea che le strade non sono necessariamente segnate e che c'è tempo e modo di scegliere una direzione.
Colloco l'autrice fra Alice Munro e Andre Dubus, per il poco che lo conosco. Di Alice Munro c'è il Canada, la pacatezza dei toni che aumenta la lucidità della visione, lo splendore e l'immediatezza della prosa: non l'ascendenza scozzese e alcune ambientazioni rurali; le storie di Deborah Willis sono contemporanee, cittadine, con riferimenti a tradizioni askenazite.
Di Andre Dubus, un'idea di luminosità che viene dalla fiducia nell'essere umano.
Leggeteli, sono bellissimi.
Mi piacerebbe che questo libro fosse più conosciuto, perché i racconti contenuti sono bellissimi.
Le storie si svolgono in Canada e sono piacevolmente contemporanee, l'autrice è una donna giovane.
Sono racconti col buco come ciambelle, perché tutti si sviluppano attorno a un'assenza, che, paradossalmente, è solida, un nucleo di vetro trasparente o invece lattiginoso, a secondo che sia ben definita o invece più sfumata.
L'elemento mancante è in genere un familiare e l'assenza è un abbandono. Quelli che restano, non so se sia moderna rassegnazione o british fair play, spesso si trovano a fantasticare su cosa starà facendo il fuggiasco/a: viaggiando in Europa? Indossando stivali alti? Lavorando come bibliotecaria? Non c'è odio o disperazione, quanto stupore, l'idea di una mancanza che non si riesce a riempire ma con la quale bisogna convivere, di una vita da portare avanti, limitando i danni.
I racconti non sono allegri né tristi, mi hanno lasciato una bellissima sensazione di luce e di spazio, l'idea che le strade non sono necessariamente segnate e che c'è tempo e modo di scegliere una direzione.
Colloco l'autrice fra Alice Munro e Andre Dubus, per il poco che lo conosco. Di Alice Munro c'è il Canada, la pacatezza dei toni che aumenta la lucidità della visione, lo splendore e l'immediatezza della prosa: non l'ascendenza scozzese e alcune ambientazioni rurali; le storie di Deborah Willis sono contemporanee, cittadine, con riferimenti a tradizioni askenazite.
Di Andre Dubus, un'idea di luminosità che viene dalla fiducia nell'essere umano.
Leggeteli, sono bellissimi.
September 6, 2017
Nei racconti di Deborah Willis lo svanire va inteso in diverse accezioni, come sparire, separarsi, andare di via di casa, ma anche come oblio della memoria o lo svanire progressivo del nostro io nel tempo. Descriverò un racconto rappresentativo:
Il racconto "Ricorda, rivivi" come espresso nel titolo è un andirivieni negli anni vissuti da una inizialmente tredicenne, Cassy, che crescendo torna e ritorna a un episodio avvenuto nel giorno del matrimonio di sua sorella, lo tiene per sé e lo trasforma da realtà a ricordo sfumato nei contorni dall'esperienza fino a mutarlo ad immagine trasognata. È scritto in seconda persona come se Cassy inscenasse il processo a se stessa. Il racconto inizia in modo netto e quasi brutale ed è la prima prova del talento della Willis, ma non sarebbe affatto sufficiente se lo sviluppo del racconto non fosse quello magistrale che si rivelerà.
L'inizio:
"Lo trascini nella camera degli ospiti per la manica dello smoking, lucida e spiegazzata tra le tue dita, e conti i passi a mezza voce con il respiro affannato, finché non piombate entrambi sul pavimento, una delle sue mani che armeggia con la tua cinturina nera, l'altra ti spinge la gonna verde sopra le ginocchia, e tutto è così improvviso e stupido che è impossibile fermarsi (certo non vi bacerete) e la sua lampo scivola giù così facilmente che è come se tu l'avessi già fatto prima, poi lui sta andando su e giù come un idiota, il suo fiato caldo sopra la tua testa, e proprio mentre pensi: Quanto ci vorrà?, lui si tira fuori e con uno spruzzo intermittente ti si sparge tutto sulla coscia, gli occhi serrati, la bocca aperta a forma di O, e tu che senti quell'umido scivolare lungo la coscia verso il tappeto color avorio, una macchia, questa notte, e tu, tredici anni".
Cassy cresce e fino a ventionove anni frequenta diversi uomini disordinatamente, il racconto va avanti e indietro, torna a quell'episodio, a Cassy che si sente trascurata, poco attraente rispetto a sua sorella che sta sposandosi, a Cassy che ricorda le giornate avventurose con suo fratello quando insieme salvano gli uccellini feriti e li riconoscono attraverso un magico manuale di ornitologia che leggono insieme, Cassy che non vuole essere vestita di verde da sua madre, Cassy non ha il padre, Cassy per la quale il sesso non esiste se non come gioco mentale di una tredicenne, trasognato in un mondo suo fatto di verità in trasformazione che non hanno linguaggio. Il suo mondo segreto e sa di rivalsa verso gli adulti, perfino verso suo fratello che è appena sedicenne. A ventinove anni Cassy vuole organizzare il suo disordine che va di pari passo e contrario allo svanimento della memoria di sua madre. A questo punto le occasioni familiari come i compleanni saranno per Cassy un impegno serio per sostenere negli anni la sanità di sua madre (suo fratello e sua sorella sono sposati, quindi svaniti) e per orientare se stessa. Ci riuscirà e mentre Cassy nel crescere diventa più saggia d'esperienza, sua madre viceversa torna con la mente in liquefazione a quando aveva tredici anni fino a quando Cassy arriverà a raccontarle quell'episodio. Quando lo sposo di sua sorella nel giorno del matrimonio ebraico ha fatto quello che ha fatto. È che ormai sembrano due ragazzine dispettose che giocano rispetto al tempo della memoria e dell'esperienza. Questa è la grandezza struggente del racconto. "Grazie a Dio tua sorella non l'ha scoperto, Cassy, - bisbiglia, come se foste due scolarette che l'hanno fatta franca. Poi ti tira sul suo petto e ti tiene lì, riscaldandoti."
Il racconto "Ricorda, rivivi" come espresso nel titolo è un andirivieni negli anni vissuti da una inizialmente tredicenne, Cassy, che crescendo torna e ritorna a un episodio avvenuto nel giorno del matrimonio di sua sorella, lo tiene per sé e lo trasforma da realtà a ricordo sfumato nei contorni dall'esperienza fino a mutarlo ad immagine trasognata. È scritto in seconda persona come se Cassy inscenasse il processo a se stessa. Il racconto inizia in modo netto e quasi brutale ed è la prima prova del talento della Willis, ma non sarebbe affatto sufficiente se lo sviluppo del racconto non fosse quello magistrale che si rivelerà.
L'inizio:
"Lo trascini nella camera degli ospiti per la manica dello smoking, lucida e spiegazzata tra le tue dita, e conti i passi a mezza voce con il respiro affannato, finché non piombate entrambi sul pavimento, una delle sue mani che armeggia con la tua cinturina nera, l'altra ti spinge la gonna verde sopra le ginocchia, e tutto è così improvviso e stupido che è impossibile fermarsi (certo non vi bacerete) e la sua lampo scivola giù così facilmente che è come se tu l'avessi già fatto prima, poi lui sta andando su e giù come un idiota, il suo fiato caldo sopra la tua testa, e proprio mentre pensi: Quanto ci vorrà?, lui si tira fuori e con uno spruzzo intermittente ti si sparge tutto sulla coscia, gli occhi serrati, la bocca aperta a forma di O, e tu che senti quell'umido scivolare lungo la coscia verso il tappeto color avorio, una macchia, questa notte, e tu, tredici anni".
Cassy cresce e fino a ventionove anni frequenta diversi uomini disordinatamente, il racconto va avanti e indietro, torna a quell'episodio, a Cassy che si sente trascurata, poco attraente rispetto a sua sorella che sta sposandosi, a Cassy che ricorda le giornate avventurose con suo fratello quando insieme salvano gli uccellini feriti e li riconoscono attraverso un magico manuale di ornitologia che leggono insieme, Cassy che non vuole essere vestita di verde da sua madre, Cassy non ha il padre, Cassy per la quale il sesso non esiste se non come gioco mentale di una tredicenne, trasognato in un mondo suo fatto di verità in trasformazione che non hanno linguaggio. Il suo mondo segreto e sa di rivalsa verso gli adulti, perfino verso suo fratello che è appena sedicenne. A ventinove anni Cassy vuole organizzare il suo disordine che va di pari passo e contrario allo svanimento della memoria di sua madre. A questo punto le occasioni familiari come i compleanni saranno per Cassy un impegno serio per sostenere negli anni la sanità di sua madre (suo fratello e sua sorella sono sposati, quindi svaniti) e per orientare se stessa. Ci riuscirà e mentre Cassy nel crescere diventa più saggia d'esperienza, sua madre viceversa torna con la mente in liquefazione a quando aveva tredici anni fino a quando Cassy arriverà a raccontarle quell'episodio. Quando lo sposo di sua sorella nel giorno del matrimonio ebraico ha fatto quello che ha fatto. È che ormai sembrano due ragazzine dispettose che giocano rispetto al tempo della memoria e dell'esperienza. Questa è la grandezza struggente del racconto. "Grazie a Dio tua sorella non l'ha scoperto, Cassy, - bisbiglia, come se foste due scolarette che l'hanno fatta franca. Poi ti tira sul suo petto e ti tiene lì, riscaldandoti."
June 18, 2010
Holy God, can Deborah Willis write.
Her sentences are jewels, her paragraphs are necklaces--but nothing feels belabored or effortful. There's nothing extra, nothing boring, nothing fatty--but it's all delicious and rich. In the plainest language, Willis surprises. She never shows off. She's always original.
I wonder if this little excerpt will get the gist across:
"Your mother will visit once in these twenty-three years, when you fly her out to meet your Italian and his two sons. She will sit in your cold dining room and tell her kind of stories. About a woman who birthed a baby with half a heart, and children who lit their own heads on fire. Sleepy and honest from wine, she will even tell of the time she met--spoke with, slept with--a man who ate his own dog. And you will look into her face the way you would stare into a funhouse mirror. Your sense of irony tuned enough to know that she will speak of you--your stone house, tanned skin, elegant husband--in the same way she speaks of her dog man. The same sly, gossipy tone you might use, if you knew your own story, if you could tell it now."
Her sentences are jewels, her paragraphs are necklaces--but nothing feels belabored or effortful. There's nothing extra, nothing boring, nothing fatty--but it's all delicious and rich. In the plainest language, Willis surprises. She never shows off. She's always original.
I wonder if this little excerpt will get the gist across:
"Your mother will visit once in these twenty-three years, when you fly her out to meet your Italian and his two sons. She will sit in your cold dining room and tell her kind of stories. About a woman who birthed a baby with half a heart, and children who lit their own heads on fire. Sleepy and honest from wine, she will even tell of the time she met--spoke with, slept with--a man who ate his own dog. And you will look into her face the way you would stare into a funhouse mirror. Your sense of irony tuned enough to know that she will speak of you--your stone house, tanned skin, elegant husband--in the same way she speaks of her dog man. The same sly, gossipy tone you might use, if you knew your own story, if you could tell it now."
March 13, 2013
Notevole l’esordio di Deborah Willis (autrice lodata anche da una pietra miliare come Alice Munro). Un libro compatto, sicuro, essenziale, e uno stile conscio, chiaro e scorrevolissimo (dove spesso si gioca con l’intreccio dei tempi o dei piani narrativi).
Le vicende che vanno a comporre i quattordici racconti della raccolta, sono molto vari nei nuclei che le compongono (giovani coppie, padri e figlie, etc.), ma sono tutte fortemente legate tra di loro, come da titolo, perché c’è sempre qualcuno che scompare, si separa, fugge, si allontana. E chi rimane si trova a fare i conti con un legame, delle sensazioni, che sbiadiscono più il tempo passa, senza però svanire mai del tutto.
Sono tutti, se non ottimi, molto buoni, ma in particolare segnalo: “Fuga”, “Affidarsi” e “Frank”.
http://www.subliminalpop.com/?p=7184
Le vicende che vanno a comporre i quattordici racconti della raccolta, sono molto vari nei nuclei che le compongono (giovani coppie, padri e figlie, etc.), ma sono tutte fortemente legate tra di loro, come da titolo, perché c’è sempre qualcuno che scompare, si separa, fugge, si allontana. E chi rimane si trova a fare i conti con un legame, delle sensazioni, che sbiadiscono più il tempo passa, senza però svanire mai del tutto.
Sono tutti, se non ottimi, molto buoni, ma in particolare segnalo: “Fuga”, “Affidarsi” e “Frank”.
http://www.subliminalpop.com/?p=7184
November 29, 2018
This is a great collection of (Canadian!) short stories that includes a few so good that you have to put the book down at the end and take a moment because you realize you haven't been breathing.
August 21, 2010
There may have been a little bit of magic in this book.
VANISHING and OTHER STORIES is a collection of short stories written by Deborah Willis. Every story deals with an absence of some sort; a missing father, a dead wife, a lover parted, childhood lost.
The writing in this book is phenomenal. Incredibly beautiful and moving and by the time I finished each short story I felt as if I'd been sucked into some kind of time warp and, in the process of just a few real-time minutes, read a novel of depth, length and substance. From the first sentence of each of these stories I was drawn into a world that needed no building because that sentence gave me a true sense of the history behind the story before it even really began.
This Other Us is one of the stories that seems to catch everyones attention and, while interesting and.. disturbing in its own way, it was Traces that really enraptured me. Focusing a story on senses and thoughts, the thoughts of a woman toward the woman who is usurping her in her husbands affections - and the twist.. oh the twist had me curling my toes and feeling the heat of anger inside of me wanting to erupt.
I'm not usually a fan of short stories (and this is the second collection I've read of them) but this book is a beautiful, perfect example of just how perfect they can be.
VANISHING and OTHER STORIES is a collection of short stories written by Deborah Willis. Every story deals with an absence of some sort; a missing father, a dead wife, a lover parted, childhood lost.
The writing in this book is phenomenal. Incredibly beautiful and moving and by the time I finished each short story I felt as if I'd been sucked into some kind of time warp and, in the process of just a few real-time minutes, read a novel of depth, length and substance. From the first sentence of each of these stories I was drawn into a world that needed no building because that sentence gave me a true sense of the history behind the story before it even really began.
This Other Us is one of the stories that seems to catch everyones attention and, while interesting and.. disturbing in its own way, it was Traces that really enraptured me. Focusing a story on senses and thoughts, the thoughts of a woman toward the woman who is usurping her in her husbands affections - and the twist.. oh the twist had me curling my toes and feeling the heat of anger inside of me wanting to erupt.
I'm not usually a fan of short stories (and this is the second collection I've read of them) but this book is a beautiful, perfect example of just how perfect they can be.
August 4, 2018
Vorrei tanto riuscire a dire quanto è bello questo libro. Quattordici racconti, uno dei quali, il più bello, l’avevo già letto. Scrittrice canadese, giovane quando ha scritto il libro. Storie apparentemente semplici, piccoli universi familiari di donne e uomini, spesso storie di adolescenti, persone che puoi incontrare tutti i giorni, che a volte ti somigliano. Il denominatore comune è l’assenza, la perdita, il trauma di un cambiamento. Meglio ancora, le strategie di sopravvivenza che gli esseri umani elaborano quando devono affrontare una mancanza per un lutto o semplicemente una separazione o anche solo un cambiamento di età. Se si unisce questo a una prosa essenziale, asciutta, rigorosa, ad una abilità incredibile nel l’inserimento di diverse voci narranti e salti temporali, si ha il risultato di una lettura che non riesci ad abbandonare, di un tono leggero con sottili vene umoristiche anche quando il tema è invece drammatico.
(A volte proprio i salti temporali consentono all’autrice di metterti di nascosto “un sette di cuori” in una tasca, di dire affettuosamente al lettore che l’umanità ha molte risorse, anche se il passato è inciso in modo indelebile dai ricordi.)
(A volte proprio i salti temporali consentono all’autrice di metterti di nascosto “un sette di cuori” in una tasca, di dire affettuosamente al lettore che l’umanità ha molte risorse, anche se il passato è inciso in modo indelebile dai ricordi.)
May 6, 2021
2.75 stars
A book of short stories… I’ve said it before – I’m not usually a fan of short stories, and I wasn’t here, either. There was one that I liked; there were a few more that were ok – I wouldn’t say I liked them, but at least they held my attention; the others, I just wasn’t interested in and didn’t even manage to follow.
I hate writing a bad review about a book by a Canadian author, but I’ve actually also met this author a couple of times (and my book is a signed copy). I did like that some of the stories were set, not only in Canada, but in my city (Calgary – where the author lives, or did the last I knew), and in another city I’ve visited a couple of times (Victoria), so it’s always nice to recognize the places mentioned/described.
A book of short stories… I’ve said it before – I’m not usually a fan of short stories, and I wasn’t here, either. There was one that I liked; there were a few more that were ok – I wouldn’t say I liked them, but at least they held my attention; the others, I just wasn’t interested in and didn’t even manage to follow.
I hate writing a bad review about a book by a Canadian author, but I’ve actually also met this author a couple of times (and my book is a signed copy). I did like that some of the stories were set, not only in Canada, but in my city (Calgary – where the author lives, or did the last I knew), and in another city I’ve visited a couple of times (Victoria), so it’s always nice to recognize the places mentioned/described.
May 28, 2023
What a fine collection. And such a surprise as I keep up on story story collections so was surprised I’d never come across this one. It was fabulous. Tear jerkers, infuriating, anxiety inducing at times, but each was so original from the last.
March 6, 2013
Ho scelto questa raccolta di racconti dopo aver letto una bella recensione sul blog di Paolo Cognetti. Li ho trovati originali e scritti in maniera lineare. Si parla di persone, sentimenti, ricordi che svaniscono e di cosa resta. Il succo sta nell'incipit del racconto "Affidarsi" che dice: “La gente semplicemente scompare. Mia moglie se n’è andata. Mia madre ha raggiunto una vecchiaia robusta. E mia figlia la vedo solo raramente.”
Molti hanno paragonato lo stile di DW alla Munro. Credo sia vero in parte, nel senso che le storie raccontano le dimaniche dei sentimenti fra genitori e figli, moglie e marito, fratelli e sorelle. Ho invece trovato un paio di caratteristiche che appartengono a Carver: una scrittura minimale, quasi priva di aggettivi, ma allo stesso tempo molto efficace, e l'assoluta e straordinaria capacità di trascinarti dentro la storia con poche parole. Leggi i racconti, ma c'è qualcosa sotto che ti spinge a continuare a leggere e ti tiene incollato con la faccia sulla pagina.
Il racconto più bello è "Fuga", il dolore del giovane vedovo lo si può praticamente toccare e la sua ricerca di conforto nella mani da prestigiatrice di una croupier è a dir poco magica.
Molti hanno paragonato lo stile di DW alla Munro. Credo sia vero in parte, nel senso che le storie raccontano le dimaniche dei sentimenti fra genitori e figli, moglie e marito, fratelli e sorelle. Ho invece trovato un paio di caratteristiche che appartengono a Carver: una scrittura minimale, quasi priva di aggettivi, ma allo stesso tempo molto efficace, e l'assoluta e straordinaria capacità di trascinarti dentro la storia con poche parole. Leggi i racconti, ma c'è qualcosa sotto che ti spinge a continuare a leggere e ti tiene incollato con la faccia sulla pagina.
Il racconto più bello è "Fuga", il dolore del giovane vedovo lo si può praticamente toccare e la sua ricerca di conforto nella mani da prestigiatrice di una croupier è a dir poco magica.
June 10, 2013
Just finished this book from a talented young writer who parlayed a job at Munro's Bookstore a few blocks from my house into an introduction to Penguin by Jim Munro (Alice's ex) and a front cover endorsement by Alice Munro herself. The stories are beautifully rendered and I found one of them to be brilliant: "Caught" starts out, "There's more than one way it could go," and tells the story entirely in the subjunctive. Another favorite was the story of two sisters whose parents are separated; one sister's attempts to put some distance between them mirrors what's going on between the mother and father. Willis uses the mirror device effectively, as well, in another story in the collection: "Frank." Willis is already a keen observer of human nature and can only get better and better as she matures. I wouldn't be surprised to see "Vanishing" win an award or two next year.
March 5, 2024
read in instalments over the course of 5 months, as palate-cleansers between novels. the stories' groundedness, their Canadianness, helped me reset. so it seems in retrospect. the stories were solid, unsurprising, resolute. no animals spoke in human language, there was no magic or sorcery, real or implied. there were emotions, but Canadian emotions, so they contained themselves, these Canadian emotions.
while i am damning this book with 3 stars and faint praise, i am still planning on reading Ms Willis's novel "Girlfriend on Mars", published in 2023. i am curious to see what happens when we leave both Canada and Earth.
while i am damning this book with 3 stars and faint praise, i am still planning on reading Ms Willis's novel "Girlfriend on Mars", published in 2023. i am curious to see what happens when we leave both Canada and Earth.
November 10, 2015
Deborah Willis gioca a scomporre il tempo: i giorni diventano ore, le ore secondi. Prende la vita e la rallenta, la dilata, tirandola da parte a parte, fino al punto in cui la trama diventa così sottile che si riesce a guardare attraverso, al punto che la realtà si denuda di ogni finzione scenica, al punto che basterebbe un tocco in più per perdere l'equilibrio.
- See more at: http://startfromscratchblog.blogspot....
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October 14, 2017
“Svanire” (“Vanishing and Other Stories”, 2009), esordio letterario di Deborah Willis, canadese, classe 1982, è una raccolta di quattordici racconti, tutti molto belli, legati da un tema ricorrente, appena modulato: il distacco, la sparizione, l’assenza. Alice Munro ha elogiato il libro e l'autrice con queste parole: “La gamma emotiva e la profondità di queste storie, la chiarezza e l’abilità compositiva sono stupefacenti”. Concordo.
September 24, 2010
I read only the first four stories. Although I enjoyed the writing I found the stories very gloomy. I must be an optimist as I wish the characters had more insight and could create something positive from their situations. However I do appreciate the realism.
July 29, 2015
Beautiful, accomplished writing style. Compelling characters and x-ray insight into human nature. Can't wait for her next book.
January 2, 2018
Alice Munro's words of praise on the cover of this book enticed me to pick it up - if it has Munro's stamp of approval then it must be good. And I quickly found out that I wasn't disappointed - the stories are rich and varied in their characters, settings, and levels of love and loss. Vanishing and Other Stories reads like a companion work to an Alice Munro volume, but it still retains a distinct voice - Willis writes in a prose so clear that I could easily transport myself into all the cleverly imagined settings; big cities such as Montreal, Calgary, Toronto; sleepy coastal towns, peripheral suburbs. Writers, fortune tellers, tailors, French professors, and ice cream scoopers make up the colourful cast of characters and each story is as different and intertwined as the one preceding it. Super enjoyable read.
November 28, 2019
4.5 stars. Well crafted stories with deep character studies that captivate the reader. My favourites in this collection: “Vanishing” the title story; “Escape” about a grief stricken husband who finds solace at a casino; “this other us” the disturbing look into the lives of three young room mates; “the fiancée” an engaged French teacher takes a trip from Montreal to Calgary where she falls for a real-estate tycoon; and the final story “the separation.” I really like how the author manages time-frames within these stories, showing her readers the past as well as the present nugget and in some cases cleverly providing a glimpse into a future waiting beyond the story setting and presently unknowable to our protagonist. Great writing. There is so much telling detail, so much to ponder over.
Oh, and I also enjoyed reading about the author’s Double Life, at the back of the book.
Oh, and I also enjoyed reading about the author’s Double Life, at the back of the book.
January 18, 2019
Vanishing is about stories of loss and absence, but what makes this collection hard to get through is what's lost from all of the elements outside of theme. When reading of a sense of loss and struggle, there often needs to be something more, to elevate it out of a missive for misery and into something worth exploring. Too many of Willis' characters and stories are stripped bare -- not to reveal an inner truth, but to display an absence.
Vanishing is often a parade of overly quick glimpses at crappy decisions and crappy lives, often split further by side stories from the past that rarely go beyond a dreary statement of outlined moments. Without the elements of empathy and curiosity, the point of the series quickly dissolves.
Vanishing is often a parade of overly quick glimpses at crappy decisions and crappy lives, often split further by side stories from the past that rarely go beyond a dreary statement of outlined moments. Without the elements of empathy and curiosity, the point of the series quickly dissolves.
July 1, 2018
The stories in “Vanishing and Other Stories” by Deborah Willis were written in such an original voice; it was fascinatingly human and real with characters that one would want to meet and live in. A beautiful book with different voices, timeframes, and life stories.
My actual rating for this book was 4.5/5 stars.
My actual rating for this book was 4.5/5 stars.
August 8, 2023
“claudia put on her earphones, adjusted her pillow, and closed her eyes. i sat beside her, and i was hugely, oppressively happy. she was my sister and i loved her…i leaned against claudia as though she was a pillow. “get off me” she said, out of habit, without meaning it. i rested my face against her bare arm, and the moisture of our skin stuck us together”
February 27, 2018
I enjoyed this book, but not as much as The Dark. I LOVED the stories set in Calgary (the Palliser Hotel, Silver Dragon! I've been there!). I wasn't in the headspace to properly enjoy this book, so I will be reading it again.
Read
January 14, 2022Deborah Willis writes novels in the space of short stories.
March 12, 2023
A most wonderful collection of stories. Many were so honestly relatable and others intriguing. Loved the familiar Canadian settings. Interesting looks at how one can vanish.
May 2, 2024
Collection of memorable characters with deep and lingering feelings...
September 1, 2010
"To let go, to disappear, to forget himself. To exist in another’s skin, and then- on the long drive home- to return to himself, with another’s knowledge. To escape. It was the only way to live."
Vanishing and Other Stories is a collection of short stories by Canadian writer Deborah Willis. The book was a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award for Fiction and contains fourteen stories, each approximately twenty pages and dealing with some sort of absence, maybe physical or maybe emotional, in the character's life. Like the theme of disappearances Willis' writing has a subtlety and depth to it. It is by no means in-your-face or harsh, but something far more eloquent and lovely. The stories themselves have a definite sense of their Western context, Willis grew up in Alberta afterall, and it was refreshing to read a book where I recognized the names and locations, at one point it even mentioned the town where I currently live. For a Canadian, who rarely reads Canadian authors, Willis was a breath of fresh air not only because of her nationality but because of her calm, controlled and exquisite prose.
Reading Vanishing and Other Stories, I was very concerned that the theme which tied the stories together would become dull and predictable by the end. Fortunately, Willis manages to have a fresh take on absence with each story and I enjoyed almost the entire collection. My favourite was "Traces" in which a wife addresses her husband's mistress, a woman she knows only because of the traces she leaves behind:
the musky smell of lavender and molasses in the house, his rushed phone calls when he thinks I’m not listening, the look on his face. Maybe if we met, I could explain my situation. Explain my situation. As if situations can be folded into the neat boxes of words, as if the word situation can define this. Define this: you are fucking (fabulous word, perfectly shaped box!) my husband, and for four months, you have occupied my mind, a presence I can’t place.
"Traces" also has a twist, which is usually the sort of device I dislike but in this case was both perfect and unexpected for the story. I also loved "The Weather" in which an aging cowboy is seduced by a friend of his daughter's after his wife leaves them for the city. The story is told in alternating perspectives of the daughter and the father, although it is is the portion told by the daughter which touched me most. She reflects on her mother's departure and what that absence has meant for their family.
"My mother squeezed my hands until her knuckles went white. Her face was empty. It was like something my father once described, a blankness he’d seen on some animals. An injured horse determined to stand and survive, or a calf too scared to wait before slaughter."
The most interesting and unique storytelling device Willis uses is her ability to shift between the present and the past, explaining what happened but also why the story is significant at the same time. For example in "Escape", a doctor who spends his time at casino's, intrigued by a carddealer who was once a traveling magician, also describes what life with his wife was like and how losing her felt. Willis also does this in the title story, "Vanishing" where a girl's father simply disappears, a playwright for whom vanishing "was the smartest thing he ever did." Although "Vanishing" is a beautiful story, at times I did wish that Willis had fleshed it out slightly more, but perhaps the power of her writing lies in the restraint she has.
In "Caught" Willis returns to the topic of affairs again, but this time from the perspective of individual who is committing the infidelity and the different ways things could have occurred- or how she could have been caught. Willis retells the story in different ways, restarting the story, how it could have happened. Even in other stories, Willis often makes the reader doubt the truth of what she is saying, the faith that we have in the narrator, and it is a powerful and conflicted relationship. Vanishing and Other Stories is a collection where the writing is pared down to the minimum, to the necessary and Willis peeks into the ordinary with extraordinary ease and expertise. I can't wait to see what she has to offer next.
Vanishing and Other Stories is a collection of short stories by Canadian writer Deborah Willis. The book was a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award for Fiction and contains fourteen stories, each approximately twenty pages and dealing with some sort of absence, maybe physical or maybe emotional, in the character's life. Like the theme of disappearances Willis' writing has a subtlety and depth to it. It is by no means in-your-face or harsh, but something far more eloquent and lovely. The stories themselves have a definite sense of their Western context, Willis grew up in Alberta afterall, and it was refreshing to read a book where I recognized the names and locations, at one point it even mentioned the town where I currently live. For a Canadian, who rarely reads Canadian authors, Willis was a breath of fresh air not only because of her nationality but because of her calm, controlled and exquisite prose.
Reading Vanishing and Other Stories, I was very concerned that the theme which tied the stories together would become dull and predictable by the end. Fortunately, Willis manages to have a fresh take on absence with each story and I enjoyed almost the entire collection. My favourite was "Traces" in which a wife addresses her husband's mistress, a woman she knows only because of the traces she leaves behind:
the musky smell of lavender and molasses in the house, his rushed phone calls when he thinks I’m not listening, the look on his face. Maybe if we met, I could explain my situation. Explain my situation. As if situations can be folded into the neat boxes of words, as if the word situation can define this. Define this: you are fucking (fabulous word, perfectly shaped box!) my husband, and for four months, you have occupied my mind, a presence I can’t place.
"Traces" also has a twist, which is usually the sort of device I dislike but in this case was both perfect and unexpected for the story. I also loved "The Weather" in which an aging cowboy is seduced by a friend of his daughter's after his wife leaves them for the city. The story is told in alternating perspectives of the daughter and the father, although it is is the portion told by the daughter which touched me most. She reflects on her mother's departure and what that absence has meant for their family.
"My mother squeezed my hands until her knuckles went white. Her face was empty. It was like something my father once described, a blankness he’d seen on some animals. An injured horse determined to stand and survive, or a calf too scared to wait before slaughter."
The most interesting and unique storytelling device Willis uses is her ability to shift between the present and the past, explaining what happened but also why the story is significant at the same time. For example in "Escape", a doctor who spends his time at casino's, intrigued by a carddealer who was once a traveling magician, also describes what life with his wife was like and how losing her felt. Willis also does this in the title story, "Vanishing" where a girl's father simply disappears, a playwright for whom vanishing "was the smartest thing he ever did." Although "Vanishing" is a beautiful story, at times I did wish that Willis had fleshed it out slightly more, but perhaps the power of her writing lies in the restraint she has.
In "Caught" Willis returns to the topic of affairs again, but this time from the perspective of individual who is committing the infidelity and the different ways things could have occurred- or how she could have been caught. Willis retells the story in different ways, restarting the story, how it could have happened. Even in other stories, Willis often makes the reader doubt the truth of what she is saying, the faith that we have in the narrator, and it is a powerful and conflicted relationship. Vanishing and Other Stories is a collection where the writing is pared down to the minimum, to the necessary and Willis peeks into the ordinary with extraordinary ease and expertise. I can't wait to see what she has to offer next.
November 24, 2014
Every once in a while I'll come across a book with such stunning writing that when I get to the end of it I can't help but heave a great big sigh of relief. There is hope. There is talent. There are WORDS.
I like reading anthologies but they're usually a compendium of stories from different writers so each work is, by default, going to be different. Different styles, different prose, different methods. Personally I find it a lot harder for an author to write a single anthology composed entirely of their own stories and have each story differentiate itself from the last. My experience in that is pretty even keel; one working out not so well and the other I ended up loving. VANISHING? Yeah, I pretty much loved it.
VANISHING has stories told of life. They're not all that action-packed. In many not much really happens outside of a character's internal monologues. But the way they're all written Willis just sinks her claws into each and every one of her characters and forces them off the page so that you can't help but see them as their own individuals. And that's exactly what they are. From the grieving scientist in ESCAPE to the lonely teacher in THE FIANCEE to the boy-turned-man in AND THE LIVING IS EASY, each are individuals, each are wholly separate and each are as vivid in my mind as if they were all given their own books.
VANISHING is one of those books that one SHOULD read because it's that kind of book. These are the stories that would get taught in literature classes, dissected for meaning, subtext, intent. To some that's a bad thing but I loved reading good short stories when I was in school. It was how I was introduced to the likes of Flannery O'Connor. And she's pretty awesome. But just because people SHOULD read it doesn't make it bad or dull. They're all engaging stories, each and every one of them, with a range of protagonists, a range of ages and a good mix of both sexes. There is literally something for everyone in VANISHING and the writing is so good all the rest would just suck you in anyway.
All of the stories are inherently real, spun golden by words that would make any writer envious (including this one). But it's not a high falutin, overtly showy type of writing. It's glorious, simple enough to hook the resistant but intricate enough to ensnare the more well-read, those with noses held higher than others. When literary does it right, it REALLY does it right. Willis's writing is effortless. She doesn't come across as trying to impress or show off her writing prowess. Her words are for the stories and the stories are for you. It's that simple. And they're wonderful.
There may not be anything supernatural in VANISHING but that doesn't make it any less engaging. It still hooks, it still drags you in and then spits you out, leaving you reeling in your book hangover because the writing . . . THE WRITING. It stuns. It really does.
I like reading anthologies but they're usually a compendium of stories from different writers so each work is, by default, going to be different. Different styles, different prose, different methods. Personally I find it a lot harder for an author to write a single anthology composed entirely of their own stories and have each story differentiate itself from the last. My experience in that is pretty even keel; one working out not so well and the other I ended up loving. VANISHING? Yeah, I pretty much loved it.
VANISHING has stories told of life. They're not all that action-packed. In many not much really happens outside of a character's internal monologues. But the way they're all written Willis just sinks her claws into each and every one of her characters and forces them off the page so that you can't help but see them as their own individuals. And that's exactly what they are. From the grieving scientist in ESCAPE to the lonely teacher in THE FIANCEE to the boy-turned-man in AND THE LIVING IS EASY, each are individuals, each are wholly separate and each are as vivid in my mind as if they were all given their own books.
VANISHING is one of those books that one SHOULD read because it's that kind of book. These are the stories that would get taught in literature classes, dissected for meaning, subtext, intent. To some that's a bad thing but I loved reading good short stories when I was in school. It was how I was introduced to the likes of Flannery O'Connor. And she's pretty awesome. But just because people SHOULD read it doesn't make it bad or dull. They're all engaging stories, each and every one of them, with a range of protagonists, a range of ages and a good mix of both sexes. There is literally something for everyone in VANISHING and the writing is so good all the rest would just suck you in anyway.
All of the stories are inherently real, spun golden by words that would make any writer envious (including this one). But it's not a high falutin, overtly showy type of writing. It's glorious, simple enough to hook the resistant but intricate enough to ensnare the more well-read, those with noses held higher than others. When literary does it right, it REALLY does it right. Willis's writing is effortless. She doesn't come across as trying to impress or show off her writing prowess. Her words are for the stories and the stories are for you. It's that simple. And they're wonderful.
There may not be anything supernatural in VANISHING but that doesn't make it any less engaging. It still hooks, it still drags you in and then spits you out, leaving you reeling in your book hangover because the writing . . . THE WRITING. It stuns. It really does.
July 13, 2010
These are the hardest books for me to review, as I am not the most cerebral women in the world. But hey I do know what cerebral means, and I didn't have to spell check it, so I am not completely without intelligence. The writers are fantastic, I do get that, but their stories are just not my thing, and I don't want my review to discourage someone from reading their work. At the same time, I cannot give the book a high rating, if I really didn't enjoy it. Just wanted to give you a heads up and also so if for some reason the author sees this review, they won't get offended and email nasty things about me.
The Good Stuff
* Author is exceptionally talented at emotions and insights
* Her descriptions are so beautifully written you can almost feel, hear and touch the story
* Not overly depressing for a Canadian author - I know I have issues with this
* Insightful descriptions of human nature and emotions
* My favorite stories were "The Seperation", "Sky Theatre", "Caught" and Vanishing. Although I think Vanishing would have been better as a longer story, as it felt rushed at times
* Love seeing familiar Canadian locations as settings, trust me when you read so much non Canadian books, you feel giddy when you recognize something so familiar as the Bloor viaduct or Spadina
* Heartrendingly honest
The Not so Good Stuff
* Far too cerebral for my tastes.
* Some of the characters in various stories are just sort of sad and pathetic and quite frankly could care less about them.
Favorite Quotes/Passages
"He must have been such a fascinating man." Yes, she smiles. He was very clever. Vanishing, she thinks, was the smartest thing he ever did."
"They seemed comfortable in their bodies, like Adam and Eve before they understood they were naked."
"Jay and I held hands and made our pilgrimage from one planet to the next. We started at Pluto, as this was before it was demoted."
What I Learned
* I'm not a fan of short stories
* Wished I was more cerebral so I could enjoy this wonderful writers work more
Who should/shouldn't read
* Wonderful for book clubs, University/College classes
* My sister in law's would love this and will pass it on to them
* Not for those who just want to lose themselves in a story
3.5 Dewey's
I received this from Harper Perennial in return for an honest review -- no money changed hands and no bribes were offered (unfortunately)
The Good Stuff
* Author is exceptionally talented at emotions and insights
* Her descriptions are so beautifully written you can almost feel, hear and touch the story
* Not overly depressing for a Canadian author - I know I have issues with this
* Insightful descriptions of human nature and emotions
* My favorite stories were "The Seperation", "Sky Theatre", "Caught" and Vanishing. Although I think Vanishing would have been better as a longer story, as it felt rushed at times
* Love seeing familiar Canadian locations as settings, trust me when you read so much non Canadian books, you feel giddy when you recognize something so familiar as the Bloor viaduct or Spadina
* Heartrendingly honest
The Not so Good Stuff
* Far too cerebral for my tastes.
* Some of the characters in various stories are just sort of sad and pathetic and quite frankly could care less about them.
Favorite Quotes/Passages
"He must have been such a fascinating man." Yes, she smiles. He was very clever. Vanishing, she thinks, was the smartest thing he ever did."
"They seemed comfortable in their bodies, like Adam and Eve before they understood they were naked."
"Jay and I held hands and made our pilgrimage from one planet to the next. We started at Pluto, as this was before it was demoted."
What I Learned
* I'm not a fan of short stories
* Wished I was more cerebral so I could enjoy this wonderful writers work more
Who should/shouldn't read
* Wonderful for book clubs, University/College classes
* My sister in law's would love this and will pass it on to them
* Not for those who just want to lose themselves in a story
3.5 Dewey's
I received this from Harper Perennial in return for an honest review -- no money changed hands and no bribes were offered (unfortunately)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews