Stubborn Bones

by Karen Smythe

"Marta's not in mourning, she's in love." So begins the title story in this stellar first collection of witty, wry, darkly humorous writing. Like Marta, many of the characters swing between love and mourning, blurring boundaries with their stubborn hearts and bones. Set chiefly in Nova Scotia, the book begins and ends with trilogies of linked stories, the first about grief and death - the death of a father, the death of a mother, and the death of a relationship - and the last about family and "strange relations."

Genres: Short Stories

176 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2001

About the author

Karen Smythe is the author of a short-story collection, Stubborn Bones, and Figuring Grief, a groundbreaking analysis of the depiction of mourning in fiction by Mavis Gallant, Alice Munro, Virginia Woolf, Edna O'Brien, and others. Her stories have also appeared in Grain, the Fiddlehead, the Antigonish Review, and the Gaspereau Review. She lives in Guelph, Ontario.

Reviews

[Erika Nerdypants · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a solid 3 star read for me until I came to the last story, "Strange Relations". Longer than the others in this compilation, it was multilayered and nuanced in a way that not only allowed me to get to know the characters, but also relate to them. 3.5

[Lauren Sloan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collection of short stories all about different relationships. Very good read.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Accomplished story collection. First book of fiction by a writer who has written a study of Mavis Gallant. Mature, resonant and memorable. Highly recommended.