CVC: Book Three: Carter V. Cooper Short Fiction Anthology Series

by Gloria Vanderbilt (Compiler)

The best of today's Canadian short fiction is showcased in this third volume of the Carter V. Cooper Short Fiction Anthology series, which features the 12 stories short-listed—among them the three winners—for the 2013 $15,000 Vanderbilt/Exile Short Fiction Competition. The book contains contemporary writing that reflects a diversity in emerging and established Canadian writers, including Austin Clarke, Leon Rooke, Priscilla Uppal, Greg Hollingshead, Sang Kim, Matthew R. Loney, Helen Marshall, George McWhirter, Rob Peters, David Somers, Yakos Spiliotopoulos and Liz Windhorst Harmer. The collection contains the winners, including Kim's "When John Lennon Died," a story about loss, homesickness, and nostalgia; Uppal's "Cover Before Striking," a disturbing, poetic tale sure to make readers' hearts race; and Clarke's "They Never Told Me," a haunting, unforgettable story that reaches the deepest places in the mind and heart. Following the stories are biographies of each contributor.

208 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2013

About the author

Gloria Laura Vanderbilt was an American artist, author, actress, fashion designer, heiress, and socialite. She was a member of the Vanderbilt family of New York and the mother of CNN television anchor Anderson Cooper. Wikipedia

Gloria Laura Vanderbilt was the author of four memoirs and two novels. She contributed to various publications, including The New York Times, Vanity Fair, and Elle, and has received two honorary Doctorates of Fine Arts. She lived in New York City.

Reviews

[Lucile Barker · Rating 4 out of 5]

65. CVC, Book 3, edited by Exile Editions
Another great collection of Canadian stories, whose publication is supported by Gloria Vanderbilt. Austin Clark’s Things They Never Told Me is an elderly man’s non-acceptance of ageing. Patricia Uppal’s Close before Striking is an experimental work that looks into the psyche of an arsonist. Mother and Son is almost too realistic, with the care taker son attempting to help his demented mother deal with the real world. In A Fire in the Clearing, a wife asks a husband to sacrifice something in the hope of finding their lost daughter. Black Sheep is about a young man who no longer fits in with his community. There are other great stories here and a few disappointments (Leon Rooke) but all and all these collections are a wonderful sponsorship of Canadian literature.

[Phil Della · Rating 5 out of 5]

To finish up my remarks on the other writers in this collection, I am happy to report that there are many more I enjoyed. Yakos Spiliotopoulos wrote a compelling story about a disturbed man which shows the level of his discontent through the extreme behaviour he gets up to. Greg Hollingshead laid out a ping ponging back and forth between mother and son revealing the characters of both in precise observations. The son is a fount of facts much like an encyclopedia and his mother responds with her folksy take on whatever he serves up. The conclusion takes this back and forth to a new height. Most amusing. Matthew R. Loney brings us to a remote setting, the now decrepit location of the male protagonist's childhood, where unsaid trauma took place. The fallout of this upbringing is the impact it had on his own daughter. Can he somehow purge the effects of this place from his life? I particularly like the exchanges between husband and wife. I have two absolute favourites in this book, the first being "Punchy Sells Out", but the other is "Sam's House" by Rob Peters. Seemingly an homage to Raymond Carver's "Nobody Said Anything", this childhood first person account of a boy protecting his less street-smart pal is tough and tender. I'll be looking forward to more from Rob Peters. Liz Windhorst Harmer delivers a structurally complex story of two teachers. The classroom dynamic between a timid teacher and her offensive student on the one hand and on the other a seemingly astute male colleague and his use of fire in the classroom. These are the writers I found most compelling. The book has lots of variety and excellent writing.