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Mrs. Sorensen and the Sasquatch
When Mr. Sorensen - a drab, cipher of a man - passes away, his lovely widow falls in love with a most unsuitable mate. Enraged and scandalized (and armed with hot-dish and gossip and seven-layer bars), the Parish Council turns to the old priest to fix the situation - to convince Mrs. Sorensen to reject the green world and live as a widow ought. But the pretty widow has plans of her own, in Kelly Barnhill's Mrs. Sorenson and the Sasquatch.
32 pages, Online
First published August 13, 2014
15 people are currently reading
842 people want to read
About the author
Kelly Barnhill
54 books4,244 followersKelly Barnhill is an author and teacher. She won the World Fantasy Award for her novella The Unlicensed Magician, a Parents Choice Gold Award for Iron Hearted Violet, the Charlotte Huck Honor for The Girl Who Drank the Moon, and has been a finalist for the Minnesota Book Award, the Andre Norton award, and the PEN/USA literary prize. She was also a McKnight Artist's Fellowship recipient in Children's Literature. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota with her three children and husband. You can chat with her on her blog at www.kellybarnhill.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
May 19, 2019
There are people, he thought, who are easy to love. And that is that.
wait, it's not what you think!! sure, it looks like monsterporn, but it isn't! this is monsterlove, with all sorts of romantic emotions and tenderness!
this tor short is charming and cute and full of animals. it's about the recently widowed agnes sorensen, who truly loved her husband of thirty years, but had always felt unfulfilled by her marriage. It was as though her soul was hibernating.
even as a young girl she was drawn to nature, and animals were drawn to her.
She had animals waiting for her by the back door each morning, animals who would accompany her on her way to school, animals who helped her with her chores, animals who sat on her lap as she did her homework, and animals who curled up on her bed when she slept.
UNFAIR! I WANT THOSE SNUGGLES!
father laurence had known agnes since she was the young girl with the animal friends. and later, before her marriage, when local sasquatch sightings were common and nearly unremarkable, she had come to him with a question about the possibility of baptism for a baby sasquatch, should one exist.
And his answer then had made her cry.
her marriage was comfortable, happy and safe. but her husband was allergic to animals, and they had no children, so it was a smaller, lonelier world for one so attuned to the natural world.
Mrs. Sorensen had a smell about her—crushed herbs and apple cider and pinesap and grass—that he could identify from across the room. Her silence was profound, and nuanced. Like the silence of a pine forest on a windless, summer day. It creaked and rustled. It warmed the blood.
with her husband gone, however, she is able to return to her former ways - she brings a menagerie to the funeral and shortly after her husband is buried, sasquatches are once again sighted nearby. or maybe more specifically, one sasquatch.
oh, and the rumor mill starts turning - all those gossipy church ladies with their toxic tongues….
but you know what? mrs. sorensen's soul is no longer hibernating and she's not taking any guff.
it's a sweet and whimsical tale of a woman finding true happiness late(r) in life. and it's the sweeter side of monsterlove. and…. it's FREE!
read it for yourself here:
http://www.tor.com/stories/2014/10/mr...
come to my blog!
wait, it's not what you think!! sure, it looks like monsterporn, but it isn't! this is monsterlove, with all sorts of romantic emotions and tenderness!
this tor short is charming and cute and full of animals. it's about the recently widowed agnes sorensen, who truly loved her husband of thirty years, but had always felt unfulfilled by her marriage. It was as though her soul was hibernating.
even as a young girl she was drawn to nature, and animals were drawn to her.
She had animals waiting for her by the back door each morning, animals who would accompany her on her way to school, animals who helped her with her chores, animals who sat on her lap as she did her homework, and animals who curled up on her bed when she slept.
UNFAIR! I WANT THOSE SNUGGLES!
father laurence had known agnes since she was the young girl with the animal friends. and later, before her marriage, when local sasquatch sightings were common and nearly unremarkable, she had come to him with a question about the possibility of baptism for a baby sasquatch, should one exist.
And his answer then had made her cry.
her marriage was comfortable, happy and safe. but her husband was allergic to animals, and they had no children, so it was a smaller, lonelier world for one so attuned to the natural world.
Mrs. Sorensen had a smell about her—crushed herbs and apple cider and pinesap and grass—that he could identify from across the room. Her silence was profound, and nuanced. Like the silence of a pine forest on a windless, summer day. It creaked and rustled. It warmed the blood.
with her husband gone, however, she is able to return to her former ways - she brings a menagerie to the funeral and shortly after her husband is buried, sasquatches are once again sighted nearby. or maybe more specifically, one sasquatch.
oh, and the rumor mill starts turning - all those gossipy church ladies with their toxic tongues….
but you know what? mrs. sorensen's soul is no longer hibernating and she's not taking any guff.
it's a sweet and whimsical tale of a woman finding true happiness late(r) in life. and it's the sweeter side of monsterlove. and…. it's FREE!
read it for yourself here:
http://www.tor.com/stories/2014/10/mr...
come to my blog!
September 3, 2015
Agnes Sorensen was happy, and Agnes Sorensen was alive. So be it.
Mrs. Sorensen has always had a way with animals and this proves to be a comfort after the death of her beloved husband.
Some gossipy church ladies are mocked in this tale, which kind of made my day. The moral is be kind to critters and make a joyful noise.
This is a sweet story, but otherwise, there's not much to it.
Mrs. Sorensen has always had a way with animals and this proves to be a comfort after the death of her beloved husband.
Some gossipy church ladies are mocked in this tale, which kind of made my day. The moral is be kind to critters and make a joyful noise.
This is a sweet story, but otherwise, there's not much to it.
March 23, 2016
A Tor.com originally published short story, Mrs. Sorensen and the Sasquatch is a joy to read.
With simplicity and charm, blending ecumenical and druidic themes and images, author Kelly Barnhill has created a gem.
After old, quiet and unobtrusive Mr. Sorensen dies, his pretty widow has the attention of all the men in the town, and … a Sasquatch.
Set amidst a casserole dish small town and with a coven of church lady crones, and with a paunchy but inspired parish priest, Barnhill creates a captivating tale of natural affections.
With simplicity and charm, blending ecumenical and druidic themes and images, author Kelly Barnhill has created a gem.
After old, quiet and unobtrusive Mr. Sorensen dies, his pretty widow has the attention of all the men in the town, and … a Sasquatch.
Set amidst a casserole dish small town and with a coven of church lady crones, and with a paunchy but inspired parish priest, Barnhill creates a captivating tale of natural affections.
November 1, 2014
This was a sweet, lyrical, lovely little read.
And the moral of the story, to me anyway: love is love is love. It is precious when it appears in any of its myriad forms.
And the moral of the story, to me anyway: love is love is love. It is precious when it appears in any of its myriad forms.
December 11, 2016
#7 short story read for this month. 3.5 stars.
Intolerance (those 3 meddling women) and lots of love in this story (Mrs. Sorenson & co). The Sasquatch was a little weird.
My favourite part in this story:
"Agnes-"
"I thought I was anonymous."
"And you are. All my confessionals are Agnes."
Intolerance (those 3 meddling women) and lots of love in this story (Mrs. Sorenson & co). The Sasquatch was a little weird.
My favourite part in this story:
"Agnes-"
"I thought I was anonymous."
"And you are. All my confessionals are Agnes."
May 11, 2020
Loved the writing and the concept; bit disappointed by the lack of development, the absence of Mrs Sorenson's viewpoint and tbh, the dearth of sasquatch. Could've been more.
June 28, 2016
A short "book" deserves a short review.
Snow White grows up and is a true evangelist, encouraging all her friends to attend church.
(Come to think of it, many of the Disney princesses are able to talk to animals--there's Ariel and the crab and flounder and Cinderella and the mice too. Poor Belle only talks to candlesticks and dressers.)
Snow White grows up and is a true evangelist, encouraging all her friends to attend church.
(Come to think of it, many of the Disney princesses are able to talk to animals--there's Ariel and the crab and flounder and Cinderella and the mice too. Poor Belle only talks to candlesticks and dressers.)
April 30, 2023
5 stars? Oh heck yeah!
Mrs. Sorensen and the Sasquatch was a charming read that made me smile. I have my sights on The Crane Husband and wanted to get a taste of Kelly Barnhill's writing. Mrs. Sorensen and the Sasquatch is a free short story on Tor and fulfilled my curiosity on Kelly Barnhill's writing. She did an absolutely wonderful job bringing a short story to life and I'm ready to venture further into her storytelling.
Mrs. Sorensen and the Sasquatch was a charming read that made me smile. I have my sights on The Crane Husband and wanted to get a taste of Kelly Barnhill's writing. Mrs. Sorensen and the Sasquatch is a free short story on Tor and fulfilled my curiosity on Kelly Barnhill's writing. She did an absolutely wonderful job bringing a short story to life and I'm ready to venture further into her storytelling.
March 13, 2024
Cute, short, kinda weird Monster romance?
Feel like there would be a longer story there somewhere, but still its was nice.
Feel like there would be a longer story there somewhere, but still its was nice.
August 13, 2016
Exactly what I need at a stressful time: love and nature.
http://www.tor.com/stories/2014/10/mr...
http://www.tor.com/stories/2014/10/mr...
November 24, 2025
When meek Mr. Sorenson dies young, the parish are outraged when his beautiful widow finds love in a totally unsuitable location.
A quiet story of love and acceptance. It's nice to see the priest leading the way.
A quiet story of love and acceptance. It's nice to see the priest leading the way.
July 26, 2019
A sweet, pastoral look at a beautiful world and who is man or society to judge.
March 22, 2022
I loved this! Brilliant short story
Read
February 19, 2018A delightful story of love, life, and the overthrow of those nasty little fusspots who don't approve of either. Ideal for fans of My Boyfriend is a Bear, and vice versa.
February 15, 2016
This was an adorable story. I may be slightly biased, since I am a nature-lover and Barnhill's descriptions of nature in this short story/novelette were gorgeous.
So much love for the imagery that paragraphs such as the above evoke. ♥
(I suppose it also helps that I can kind of imagine me being that girl... in my dreams! haha.)
I think the real message to this story is... love is love is love, to borrow a line from another reviewer of this story. It's an adorable tale of a woman who finds love again after her husband dies... with the added bits and pieces of natural/druidic magic. :)
And again, as with all of the Tor.com original fiction I've read thus far, I need to look up Kelly Barnhill to see what else she has written... :)
Agnes, in her knee socks and mary janes, in her A-line dresses that her mother had made from old curtains and her pigtails pale as stars, simply had an affinity for animals. In the old barn in their backyard, she housed the creatures that she had found, as well as those that had traveled long distances just to be near her. A hedgehog with a missing foot, a blind weasel, a six-legged frog, a neurotic wren, a dog whose eardrums had popped like balloons when he wandered too near a TNT explosion on his owner’s farm. She once came home with a wolf cub, but her father wouldn’t allow her to keep it. She had animals waiting for her by the back door each morning, animals who would accompany her on her way to school, animals who helped her with her chores, animals who sat on her lap as she did her homework, and animals who curled up on her bed when she slept.
So much love for the imagery that paragraphs such as the above evoke. ♥
(I suppose it also helps that I can kind of imagine me being that girl... in my dreams! haha.)
I think the real message to this story is... love is love is love, to borrow a line from another reviewer of this story. It's an adorable tale of a woman who finds love again after her husband dies... with the added bits and pieces of natural/druidic magic. :)
And again, as with all of the Tor.com original fiction I've read thus far, I need to look up Kelly Barnhill to see what else she has written... :)
December 26, 2014
This was a sweet, unconventional love story, between a woman and a sasquatch.
To be fair, the short also takes a look at small town mentality, the spirituality of humans vs the perception that animals are lacking in spirituality, and the awkwardness of sasquatches not wearing pants. I'm pretty sure that the woman/sasquatch pairing is the big draw, though.
I'm guessing that sasquatch was chosen as the term for the Wild Man, because the story would just be completely ridiculous if it were called "Mrs. Sorensen and the Bigfoot". Unless the story is supposed to be set in Canada. (Which wouldn't entirely surprise me.)
I have learned much about the regional names for Bigfoots, and sasquatches are the Canadian version.
I couldn't entirely take the story seriously, though. The first real glimpse we get of the relationship between Mrs. Sorensen and the sasquatch is when someone (the priest, I think) remembers that the last time the sasquatch was seen in town was on Mrs. Sorensen's wedding night. The sasquatch stood outside her hotel (presumably with a boom box), and cried so loudly that the entire town heard him.
...which should have been a touching little scene, except this was all that was going through my mind.
Good job, brain. Thank you for ruining the story for me.
To be fair, the short also takes a look at small town mentality, the spirituality of humans vs the perception that animals are lacking in spirituality, and the awkwardness of sasquatches not wearing pants. I'm pretty sure that the woman/sasquatch pairing is the big draw, though.
I'm guessing that sasquatch was chosen as the term for the Wild Man, because the story would just be completely ridiculous if it were called "Mrs. Sorensen and the Bigfoot". Unless the story is supposed to be set in Canada. (Which wouldn't entirely surprise me.)
I have learned much about the regional names for Bigfoots, and sasquatches are the Canadian version.
I couldn't entirely take the story seriously, though. The first real glimpse we get of the relationship between Mrs. Sorensen and the sasquatch is when someone (the priest, I think) remembers that the last time the sasquatch was seen in town was on Mrs. Sorensen's wedding night. The sasquatch stood outside her hotel (presumably with a boom box), and cried so loudly that the entire town heard him.
...which should have been a touching little scene, except this was all that was going through my mind.
Good job, brain. Thank you for ruining the story for me.
October 4, 2015
Sweet, whimsical monsterlove! This is the story I shall now think of any time I hear All Creatures of Our God and King.
Here is a paragraph I love (and it's as close to monsterporn as this little tale comes):
The Sasquatch sometimes wore Mr. Sorensen’s old seed hat and boots (he had cut out holes for his large, flexible toes), and sometimes wore the dead man’s scarf. But never his pants. Or some kind of shorts. Or, dear god, at least some swimming trunks. The Sasquatch was in possession, thankfully, of a bulbous thicket of fur, concealing the area of concern, but everyone knew what was behind that fur, and they knew it would only take a stiff breeze, or a sudden movement, or perhaps the presence of a female Sasquatch to cause a, how would you say—a shaking of the bushes, as it were. Or a parting of the weeds. People kept their eyes averted, just to be safe.
Here is a paragraph I love (and it's as close to monsterporn as this little tale comes):
The Sasquatch sometimes wore Mr. Sorensen’s old seed hat and boots (he had cut out holes for his large, flexible toes), and sometimes wore the dead man’s scarf. But never his pants. Or some kind of shorts. Or, dear god, at least some swimming trunks. The Sasquatch was in possession, thankfully, of a bulbous thicket of fur, concealing the area of concern, but everyone knew what was behind that fur, and they knew it would only take a stiff breeze, or a sudden movement, or perhaps the presence of a female Sasquatch to cause a, how would you say—a shaking of the bushes, as it were. Or a parting of the weeds. People kept their eyes averted, just to be safe.
December 28, 2016
I read this because I had recently read The Girl Who Drank the Moon and The Witch's Boy so I thought I might like another Kelly Barnhill story. This is a much shorter story so it is considerably less complex. I plan to read this aloud to 4th graders as a way of introducing them to this author and then suggesting that they check out her other full-length novels. This story has a little more silliness but I think students will enjoy that.
September 24, 2020
"The dead have buried the dead, and the living scramble and struggle as best they can. ... Agnes Sorensen was happy, and Agnes Sorensen was alive. So be it."
A little gem of a story that works as a metaphor for finding one's own happiness, no matter what meddling busybodies have to say. This sweet feminist fairy tale hit all of the right notes.
I listened to this as part of Kelly Barnhill's collection Dreadful Young Ladies and Other Stories.
A little gem of a story that works as a metaphor for finding one's own happiness, no matter what meddling busybodies have to say. This sweet feminist fairy tale hit all of the right notes.
I listened to this as part of Kelly Barnhill's collection Dreadful Young Ladies and Other Stories.
April 14, 2015
Charming and tender, this is a story of unconventional love in a natural setting. Family is defined by more than blood ties and spirituality isn't just a religious expression limited to humans. Big concepts for such a whimsical story!
October 24, 2014
Narrated by the priest. Funny and moving.
February 14, 2015
Another Tor.com short story
This was a nice story, and I quite enjoyed the way it looked at loss and grief and community. I especially liked the Father, he was so decent and good and accepting.
This was a nice story, and I quite enjoyed the way it looked at loss and grief and community. I especially liked the Father, he was so decent and good and accepting.
December 3, 2014
An interesting standalone short story that calls into question if nature has a communal place in religion. Particularly in the course of love, and how it stirs up a village's structure here.
February 17, 2018
Father Laurence has been asked to speak to Mrs Sorensen. She had always been an unusual girl with an affinity for animals. That all stopped when she got married and her husband was allergic. But he died recently… and she’s back to her old self, much to the local men’s interest and the local women’s gossip. She is a very pretty widow.
Oddly, there have been nearly thirty sightings of a Sasquatch near Mrs Sorenson’s farm. The last time there was anything like this was, now he comes to think of it, the night she got married.
Kind of cute. A gossipy small town dealing with monster dating.
It made me smile.
4 stars
Read it here:
https://www.tor.com/2018/02/16/read-k...
He gave a quick glance up and down the quiet street to reassure himself that he remained unobserved. The last thing he needed was to have the Parish Council start fussing at him again.
(The Parish Council was made up, at this time, of a trio of widowed sisters whose life’s purpose, it seemed to the priest, was to make him feel as though they were in the midst of stoning him to death using only popcorn and lost buttons and bits of yarn. Three times that week he had found himself in the fussy crosshairs of the sisters’ ire—and it was only Wednesday.)
Oddly, there have been nearly thirty sightings of a Sasquatch near Mrs Sorenson’s farm. The last time there was anything like this was, now he comes to think of it, the night she got married.
Kind of cute. A gossipy small town dealing with monster dating.
It made me smile.
4 stars
Read it here:
https://www.tor.com/2018/02/16/read-k...
September 9, 2024
At 35 pages, this short story or Novella is really brief and easy to read. But there is a lot packed into it.
It starts out with Mrs. Sorenson (Agnes) coming down the road with some of her animal friends to Our Lady of Snows church where Father Lawrence is asked to conduct her husband's funeral. Afterwards, all the men seem really interested in getting to know Agnes better but she gives them no attention. People start noticing odd things at her property. There is an over abundance of animals and then people start seeing what looks like a Sasquatch.
Many in the community are scandalized and are angry because Father Lawrence seems to them to be entirely too tolerate. That and of course the three most prominent women in the congregation just know the church would be better off if the Father listened to them and did what they wanted.
Mrs Sorenson brings her family in all its glory to church one last time, and then disappears from the community. I recommend this story to anybody who finds my review intriquing.
It starts out with Mrs. Sorenson (Agnes) coming down the road with some of her animal friends to Our Lady of Snows church where Father Lawrence is asked to conduct her husband's funeral. Afterwards, all the men seem really interested in getting to know Agnes better but she gives them no attention. People start noticing odd things at her property. There is an over abundance of animals and then people start seeing what looks like a Sasquatch.
Many in the community are scandalized and are angry because Father Lawrence seems to them to be entirely too tolerate. That and of course the three most prominent women in the congregation just know the church would be better off if the Father listened to them and did what they wanted.
Mrs Sorenson brings her family in all its glory to church one last time, and then disappears from the community. I recommend this story to anybody who finds my review intriquing.
January 18, 2025
Mrs. Sorensen and the Sasquatch by Kelly Barnhill is a light hearted young adult short. You can read this story (and all the other ones in this series) for free on the Tor.com site https://reactormag.com/mrs-sorensen-a...
When Mr. Sorensen—a drab, cipher of a man—passes away, his lovely widow falls in love with a most unsuitable mate. Enraged and scandalized (and armed with hot-dish and gossip and seven-layer bars), the Parish Council turns to the old priest to fix the situation—to convince Mrs. Sorensen to reject the green world and live as a widow ought. But the pretty widow has plans of her own.
My ongoing quest to get current with the Tor short stories.
I really loved this one.
4 Stars
When Mr. Sorensen—a drab, cipher of a man—passes away, his lovely widow falls in love with a most unsuitable mate. Enraged and scandalized (and armed with hot-dish and gossip and seven-layer bars), the Parish Council turns to the old priest to fix the situation—to convince Mrs. Sorensen to reject the green world and live as a widow ought. But the pretty widow has plans of her own.
My ongoing quest to get current with the Tor short stories.
I really loved this one.
4 Stars
May 13, 2019
This short story is odd but charming; it tickles the lines of beastiality but also doesn't.
I know I enjoyed it but it's an experience I can't quite describe, and I'm left confused, much like the characters that aren't Mrs. Sorensen or the Sasquatch. It is told in third-person, mostly from the perspective of the priest, which allows you to recognize the situation as unnatural but acceptable at the same time.
Barnhill's voice really is charming and lulls you into the story. It didn't feel out of place as a situation, even if you don't believe in Bigfoot, I think; it's more a situation that shouldn't happen, rather than one that wouldn't.
I know I enjoyed it but it's an experience I can't quite describe, and I'm left confused, much like the characters that aren't Mrs. Sorensen or the Sasquatch. It is told in third-person, mostly from the perspective of the priest, which allows you to recognize the situation as unnatural but acceptable at the same time.
Barnhill's voice really is charming and lulls you into the story. It didn't feel out of place as a situation, even if you don't believe in Bigfoot, I think; it's more a situation that shouldn't happen, rather than one that wouldn't.
October 18, 2018
This short story was quite a delicious reading, I loved the main character (the pastor), the atmosphere, the malicious tone.
But the end was somewhat botched, an easy way out. And the fact that the conformist villagers, in all their indignation, never seemed to ponder over - pardon my crudity - sexual intercourses between the delicate and lovely widow and the head over heels in love Sasquatch isn't very credible - as so many people seem to be obsessed with their entourage's sexuality...
But the end was somewhat botched, an easy way out. And the fact that the conformist villagers, in all their indignation, never seemed to ponder over - pardon my crudity - sexual intercourses between the delicate and lovely widow and the head over heels in love Sasquatch isn't very credible - as so many people seem to be obsessed with their entourage's sexuality...
February 20, 2018
I think Barnhill makes it to being one of my top authors. This is so new and old mixed in the best way. This time the newness is on the way the people are perceived (not in a negative way but just the modernness of individuality and openness) with the old being the idea of a Sasquatch and the fairy tale tropes.
June 29, 2018
The beautiful local widow with an affinity for animals falls in love with the Sasquatch. The local women are offended, and try to sic the parish priest on her. Told from the priest's perspective, the story is humorous and cute and strange. Love conquers all, it seems. Even for the great beasties.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews