Our Lady of Mile End

by Sarah Gilbert

Recommended in The New York Times.>/b>Our Lady of Mile End is a neighbourhood of stories about gentrification and displacement in a once affordable area that is feeling the squeeze of social and cultural transformation. The overlapping lives of girls and women, tenants and landlords, neighbours and strangers, the old generation and the next chart the tensions and affections among people living in a community that has turned into a destination. Artists clean the homes of more affluent neighbours to make ends meet; a college professor bumps up against trigger warnings, cancel culture and privilege. As children confront the dark corners of the adult world, another generation reckons with their home turf shifting under their feet. This is an era of uncertainty, and sometimes menace, where the lack of privacy evokes village life. Yet when everything seems precarious, a neighbour who’s paying attention may make all the difference, reminding us that connection is still possible.


“Sarah Gilbert writes of an old neighbourhood that is disappearing and being born anew. Her stories are as vibrant and intimate as drinking a cup of coffee on a stoop while gossiping with a neighbour in their housecoat.” (Heather O’Neill, author of When We Lost Our Heads)

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Canada

208 pages, Paperback

Published November 15, 2023

Reviews

[Cory Burgher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up on my most recent visit back to Montreal (at my fave local bookshop, De Stiil). When I popped into a cafe later that day, the barista was thrilled to see someone reading it, and told me that she grew up with Sarah’s kids. That was a few months ago, and I pick up this book every so often when I’m feeling homesick. Every story felt like a little hug from my favourite neighbourhood. <3

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A touching assortment of short stories that make you feel like you’re peering around someone’s home when they’ve left for work. Brief, deeply personal moments shine brightly as you peruse these character’s lives, and the sense of nostalgia, jostling with an appreciation for the new and different, creates an atmosphere that well describes Montreal itself. Maybe I just miss that little and great city, but some of these stories did make me tear up. Reading Gilbert’s descriptions of coffee shops, grocery stores, and apartment blocks made my heart hurt, just a little bit.

[Emma Johannessen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I normally don’t like consuming media about Covid or about where i live but reading these stories felt like watching a tv show about my neighbourhood. Specifically my neighbourhood in 2020/2021-I feel moved and seen and inspired.

[Siena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uhhh that last story was strangely familiar….

[Genevieve · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured these short stories in a day, if devouring can be said for a craft associated with brevity. As a bordering inhabitant of the Mile End, I recognized the pains and acceptances of change in the neighbourhood, even as I somehow continue to feel like I am new here, after almost twenty years. The Laurentian getaways were also so familiar: The Visit brought me to tears. Full disclosure: I know Sarah from our kids’ time in daycare.

[Jesse Chevrier · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5
A beautiful collection of short stories filled with familiarity and nostalgia for those who have ever inhabited the Mile End - an ode to home 🥰

[Valerie Campbell Ackroyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this collection of short stories about a Montreal neighborhood. So much of it resonated with me as a Montrealer even though it's been about 45 years since I lived there. Although the stories are contemporary--several referencing the COVID lockdown--there is something unchanging about working class and/or artistic neighborhoods, despite the gentrification, the developers trying to push people out. Unchanging too is the humidity of summer, cold of winter, the flats that don't have their own washer/dryers necessitating trips to the laundromat.
There are seventeen short stories in this 200 page book. My favorites were two stories written about teaching English Lit in college. Gilbert teaches English Lit at Dawson College in Montreal, she knows what she's talking about. Particularly poignant was the one, called "The Word," about teaching via Zoom during the pandemic. Although the stories stand alone, many of the characters in the stories recur: Evelyn, the college professor, her daughter Fred, Martha and Gray. The last story, Catch, was actually my least favorite. It ends on a strange note, at least a strange note for me. After so many stories spoke to me, this one didn't.
Still it's a wonderful book for anyone who's ever lived in a city neighborhood and enjoyed the camaraderie and weirdness, who felt isolated during the COVID pandemic, who had "adventures" as a child that you only now realize were pretty darned dangerous and who's ever spent a Northeastern summer at a lake alternately glorying in the locale and fighting off black flies.

[Élisabeth BD · Rating 3 out of 5]

C'est fou que ça m'ait pris un an le lire, mais c'est vraiment que la caractéristique principale du truc, c'est que c'est confus. On semble voir un hommage au Mile-End sous tous ses résidents, mais c'est entremêlé de beaucoup trop de personnages et de scènes à l'extérieur du quartier qui n'ajoutent rien à l'ensemble. J'ai apprécié les détails des récits qui se trouvent au Mile-End, mais j'avais de la difficulté à faire des liens tout au long et la fin est décevante.

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this. It’s a hodge podge of short stories all set in the Mile End neighborhood of Montreal. The stories are all over the place, but so personable and vivid. They cover a hodge podge of daily life issues and are just so *real*. A few have some reappearing characters, but many don’t. Like with all short story collections, some are stronger than others and a few weren’t amazing. But each one was so vividly entrenched in place and just so real and relatable. This author really does paint very specific pictures with her stories and descriptions.

[y. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up because the cover was cute and the title caught my eye as I wandered through Mile End for Indie Bookstore Day.

It reminded me of "Gentrification Is Inevitable and Other Lies" by Leslie Kern, which I read a few years ago.

This is a collection of short stories, so there’s no single overarching plot—just fleeting glimpses into lives, moments suspended in time. It has a strange, nostalgic feel, like reminiscing about a place and era I never actually experienced.

I enjoyed it overall, with some stories standing out more than others.

[Ulrika Mars · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every single story is a work of art,
don't wolf too many in a row!
enjoy one at a time, remember the main, remember mile end, cry, have a walk, then read another and start over.
this book is a perfect travelling companion.

[Agnessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

reading this in English felt a bit like walking into a dép and asking “Parlez-vous anglais?” (e.g., St-Lawrence Boulevard?!). besides that, and the few typos (personal pet peeve!!), a lovely collection of sweet stories, some darker and more tragic than others, about the everyday lives of Mile-Enders (Mile-Endais??), often intertwined in unexpected ways.

[Berta · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,75/5

[julia provvisionato · Rating 2 out of 5]

i like that there were recurring characters and the stories were interwoven, but it didn’t really keep my interest well. took around a month to finish, i think this is more because story collections are hit or miss for me than anything

[David G · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of short stories based on individual’s lives in and around Montreal. I found myself liking many of the stories because i was able to relate to them in one way or another. Wasnt hard to read but also i find the stories arent that memorable.

[Tim Mcgurrin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure: Sarah and I took a creative writing course together many years ago. I was simply trying to keep my GPA from red-lining, but Sarah was already exhibiting the style and imagination of a seasoned writer. In fact, fragments from one of the short stories she shared back then are the only writing I can still recall vividly from that class.

For those unfamiliar with Montreal, it is a very large city made up of many small boroughs, each with its own particular feel and ecosystem. Mile End still clings to its early roots even as extensive gentrification (or “gone chichi” as noted in one story) threatens to radically change it. Sarah captures its heartbeat - the people of Mile End - with stunning and sometimes jarring imagery. Simple lives and events made extraordinary through incisive and multi-layered short stories.

I would argue that a short story takes exponentially more work than a novel, because place, character and circumstance must be developed with lightning fast pacing to resonate immediately with the reader. Sarah does this time and time again, often hooking you with the opening sentence, and then leaving you at the end wondering about what might come next for these people. From finding a stranger in your kitchen, to a visit to “the tea master”, to several,individual challenges faced throughout the pandemic, each story paints a vivid picture, unified through the changes reflected in the neighbourhood itself and the people within it.

Perhaps the most indicative of this is “Made in Mile End” featuring Ruth, an elderly remnant of the neighborhood that Mordecai Richler and Leonard Cohen once wrote and sang about. She and her lifelong business have been crowded out and replaced with something barely recognizable and completely unaffordable.

Several of the stories use a shifting point of view to better illustrate how a particular situation can be interpreted by different people. The most effective is “The Word” in which a teacher attempts to contextualize the use of a racist word in a poem. Powerful stuff, made doubly so by sharing both the teacher and the student’s view of the discussion.

This book is an excellent read, from start to finish.

Professor Moon would be proud.

[Mauricio Herrerabarría · Rating 2 out of 5]

A collection of orbital stories connected only by their lack of gravitas.

A Google Maps perspective of the neighbourhood, the book feels brochure-like and constricted. I found it disappointing that it doesn't dare go further than the supermarket everyone goes to, the main streets and overly-priced coffee shops everyone goes to; if it wasn't for the mention of these landmarks, these stories might as well take place in Bushwick, or somewhere in Vancouver.

I found Gilbert's diction and style too studied and focused on the execution of an idea, anchoring imagination and preventing it from running free, not leaving space for air to breathe life into the reading. Dialogues felt disingenuous, tarnished by what I felt like an imposition of the self; words that didn't belong to a character, but probably came from the idea of what the character would say. (I mean, who in 2024 says "Tempus fugit" in a conversation with a sibling?)

The sequence of events, the vignettes of life, I found dismembered. Almost as if leaving too much for the reader to fill in; gaps left too wide. If these stories were buildings one has to jump from one to the other, even Spiderman would fail to cross them successfully.

[Nicolas Gulino · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put down Gilbert’s collection of short stories, which invite you into one of Montreal’s most iconic neighbourhoods-Mile End. I have lived in this part of town for over 20 years and could identify with many of the local references, but you don’t have to be from here to enjoy these stories. Gilbert takes you on a personalized tour. She invites you to the walk-up apartments, the alleys, the cafés, the Greek, Jewish and Italian-owned mom & pop stores, and introduces you to some of the characters—whether real or “fictionalized real”—that make this neighbourhood so attractive, colourful, and stimulating. These stories and characters are beautifully written in a way that is intimately familiar, cozy even, and convey the scope of human emotion and experience. Gilbert’s writing is inviting, fresh, and it immediately connects you to that feeling that one senses when walking around this iconic slice of Montreal. Truly enjoyable!

[Hannah Korbee · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ Definitely an enjoyable collection of short stories. Gilbert has the unique ability to evoke the
✨vibes✨ of Mile End in such a profound way. I did feel like some of the stories felt too rushed or perhaps disjointed from one another. But I suppose that’s just the format!

[Grace Chen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting vignettes of Mile End but feels a bit unfinished

[Bekah Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

lovely collection of stories. so very human, which I think is what made it beautiful.

[Enid Wray · Rating 5 out of 5]

In her cover blurb for this collection of short stories Heather O’Neill gets it bang on when she describes them as being “as vibrant and intimate as drinking a cup of coffee on a stoop while gossiping with a neighbour in their housecoat.”

These stories are very Alice Munro-esque - focusing on everyday life and the myriad ways in which life changes whether we like it or not.

As I have said about a few other recent collections of short stories that I have also enjoyed: “(w)hat makes these stories work is the keen eye to detail - to documenting the familiar - the things, feelings and relationships that are the measure of our everyday lives… and which we can all relate to but certainly don’t spend a lot of time dwelling on thinking about.”

I thoroughly enjoyed the youthful vibrance to these stories, and not just because many of the characters are children. But yes, we do feel their childhood exuberance for life.

Mind though as, at the same time, we understand that the very possibilities for their futures are being extinguished on account of gentrification and neighbourhood dynamics. We are challenged to confront our own beliefs about the importance of community and history.

I also enjoyed - appreciated - that there are a number of recurring characters from one story to another. It helps create a cohesiveness to the story-telling - overcoming that aspect which sometimes turns readers off the short story form (not myself but others I know).

Surprisingly enough, it didn’t even bother me that some of the stories are set during COVID. It wasn’t a big deal, just a reason why some situations played out the way they did (like a college English class taking place on ZOOM).

I find that I am thankful that I picked up this book today - from the rest of the offerings on the pile sitting in front of me. Reading this today was like giving myself a well deserved treat. Self indulgence at its best. And I am very grateful for the time I invested - the time I spent with these characters.

Highly recommended.

[marcel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a delightful collection. The stories were mostly pretty lighthearted and on the sentimental side, which may not be to everyone's taste, but I enjoyed them. What made the collection extra special to me is that I live in the neighbourhood where most of the stories are set, and it was really cool to be able to visualise exactly where the events were happening. The kids in the stories go to the school a block away from my house, and when they talk about the library or the YMCA, they're the library and YMCA that I know. I also liked how the stories are separate, plot-wise, but some characters appear in two or three stories. I've read other collections like this (Lives of Girls and Women, sort of, and The Golden Apples come to mind) but they were set in small towns, so it was cool to see my Montreal neighbourhood almost depicted like a small town would be. I've often felt like living in Mile End feels like living in a village, and this collection evokes that feeling in every page.

By the way, why does Goodreads say this book is expected to be released in 12 days? I bought it randomly from a bookstore last month.

[Emily Suchanek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Our Lady of Mile End reads like a long afternoon spent sipping coffee on a stoop, eavesdropping on a neighbourhood in flux, and realizing every whispered conflict feels like yours. Sarah Gilbert stitches together seventeen overlapping stories set in Montreal’s Mile End, conjuring a place where landlords, artists, professors, and kids brushing up against gentrification all orbit the same streets in different orbits. An artist cleaning fancy gallery homes to pay rent, a professor tangling with trigger warnings and privilege; Gilbert captures the quiet tensions and tenderness of a community negotiating itself through change. Her prose registers like the perfect mug of warmth: familiar, unshowy, and somehow full of unexpected weight.

What really sticks is how Gilbert refuses to turn this into a jeremiad against gentrification. Instead, she gently reminds us that amidst displacement and soaring rents, human connection can still bloom, if only someone truly notices. The stories pulse with that stubborn hope: kids growing up in adult shadows, new neighbours fumbling toward friendship, elders refusing to vanish. It’s intimate, compassionate, and quietly queer in its insistence that community isn’t just nostalgia, it’s made, piece by small piece, across generations and shifting streets. A beautifully observant love letter to a place both vanishing and surviving. Emotionally resonant, quietly fierce, and exactly the sort of novel you’ll want to reread on a walk through your own changing neighbourhood.

[A. Macbeth’s bks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gosh, I’m proud of myself for having read, ploughed through, this recent piece of Canadiana .
Four of the stories were salient for me.
The Green Eyes story was set 500 miles up north from the Mile End, with a tree saplings planting crew .
Two stories, Introduction to College English and The Word, were set in english classes that were so evocative of my own junior college, cegep, english class days ;
In the final story, Catch, an almost kidnapped girl is quickly offered a week’s retreat in the friendly neighbourhood Carmelite cloister convent, a retreat organized by a meddling community activist, as a brief psychosocial respite and treatment to overcome the trauma and psychodrama of the violent happening .
After reading Catch I was left wondering whether the Carmelites had inadvertently found themselves with a new recruit or not.
I possibly read the stories with impatience and feelings of frustration.
I could possibly re-read all of them and savour them better.
Sarah Gilbert is very close to being a successor to Mavis Gallant in the short story writing business.

[Monique Kasonga]

Not gonna rate this one—short story collections are too hard for me to judge as a whole. Maybe it’s just that I’ve recently read Canadian icons Richler and Munro, so these didn’t hit the same. But hey, you can’t compare everything to legends, right?

Some stories were kinda meh, others I enjoyed. A few felt a bit too simple or didn’t go deep enough. But overall, it was a fun read. I loved seeing my neighbourhood in fiction ;) such a cool way to capture local, modern history.

Favs: Made in Mile End, The Sweater, and Parade.

Only one I didn’t vibe with was The Word. Maybe it’s cause the author’s white? Not sure. The way she tackled the subject made me cringe a bit but maybe that was the point?

[Meli F · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

This is a good book. It's well-written, very nostalgic and melancholic. It does a great job showing the gentrification process and how it affects the original residents of a neighbourhood. It's a passing picture of people's lives in the Mile End and how this kind of change affects them.

But it wasn't for me. Maybe because I'm on the other side of the process. I'm a new resident in a nearby area (not the Mile End, but pretty close). I'm one of those mentioned more than a few times as the "intruders" in the book. Trust me, we don't appreciate the ever-increasing prices of everything, either.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not a huge fan of short stories so I don't want to critique the stories themselves. What bothered me a little was this whole notion of gentrification. I got a feeling the artists were the ones getting pushed out by those with more money, the smoothie types. To me the gentrification goes farther back. When I moved here 44+ years ago there were lots of Greeks, Italians, Polish, Jews and a few Portuguese. Arahova was a minuscule Greek restaurant. We the CÉGEP, university professors and community organizer types really got the process going. So when referring to the good old days, pre-gentrification, I am not sure when that was ... just a thought.

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

When people tell me they don't like or don't read short stories, I just want to hand them a collection like this and say, "Really, though? Have you tried this?" Gilbert's snapshots of a particular neighborhood of Montreal (where I don't live) are so poignant and real that, on one hand, you wish you had more time with each character but, on the other hand, this brief moment with them is well spent. Looking forward to more of her work.

[Emily Rosen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, easy read of a collection of short stories. Having visited Montreal 2x I really enjoyed reading these short stories set in as recent as the Covid pandemic. Im usually not big on fiction, and this isn't likely a book I would've picked up for myself, but my boyfriend surprised me with this as a gift after our recent trip.