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Lost Enough
Written with style and elegance, this collection of short stories and flash fiction takes you on a journey of discovery. Set against the stark realism of the vast Canadian landscape, each piece highlights life's compelling moments in the most poignant ways. From broken youth to healing seniors, from love lost to relationships found, the stories explore the complicated and uncomfortable while embracing the incredible diversity found in humankind. This dynamic collection touches on cultural distinctions, the LGBTQ community, immigration, Indigenous peoples, and the marginalized aspects of society, opening our hearts to what's lost or yet to be found.
208 pages, Paperback
Published April 6, 2017
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246 people want to read
About the author
A.J. Dolman
9 books22 followersAJ Dolman (they/she) is a poet, fiction writer, editor and bi/pan+ rights advocate living on unceded Anishinaabe Algonquin territory in Ottawa, Canada. Their debut full-length poetry collection, Crazy / Mad is out in April 2024 with Gordon Hill Press.
Dolman's short fiction collection Lost Enough was released by Morning Rain Publishing in 2017. Her short fiction and poetry have appeared in numerous journals, magazines and anthologies, including Canthius, The Quarantine Review, QT Literary Magazine, Prism International, Another Dysfunctional Cancer Poem Anthology (Mansfield Press, 2018), Canadian Ginger (Oolichan Books, 2018), and Triangulation: Lost Voices (Parsec Ink, 2015).
Dolman's poetry has been published in the Phafours Press mini-chapbook Glass Studio, the Chaudiere Books anthology Decalogue: Ten Ottawa Poets, and two chapbooks: Where No One Can See You (AngelHousePress, 2014) and Scalpel, tea and shot glass (above/ground press, 2004). They are a contributing editor for Arc Poetry Magazine.
Dolman's short fiction collection Lost Enough was released by Morning Rain Publishing in 2017. Her short fiction and poetry have appeared in numerous journals, magazines and anthologies, including Canthius, The Quarantine Review, QT Literary Magazine, Prism International, Another Dysfunctional Cancer Poem Anthology (Mansfield Press, 2018), Canadian Ginger (Oolichan Books, 2018), and Triangulation: Lost Voices (Parsec Ink, 2015).
Dolman's poetry has been published in the Phafours Press mini-chapbook Glass Studio, the Chaudiere Books anthology Decalogue: Ten Ottawa Poets, and two chapbooks: Where No One Can See You (AngelHousePress, 2014) and Scalpel, tea and shot glass (above/ground press, 2004). They are a contributing editor for Arc Poetry Magazine.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 19, 2017
A rich cross section of stories that delve into the darker and vulnerable zones of the human soul.
I was looking for an overarching theme, something that short story collections use to provide a framework for the reader, and I couldn’t find any. Instead there were several sub themes, shadings, if you will: postcard stories capturing moments that reveal a lot; same-sex relationships that appear frequently; stories about small town life in Alberta; stories about people who have lost direction and jumped ship, losing everything; older man-younger woman situations that do not blossom; older woman-younger man situations that fizzle. There is only one indigenous story that seems to be drawn from Blackfoot legend. Reading the author’s bio on the back cover I found it hard to relate the stories to her background and place of residence, and yet the collection rings with strong plausibility and human insight, suggesting a diverse life lived, and a fertile imagination.
The stories are well crafted, concise and incisive. An oft used device is to jump ahead of the dramatic event and retrace the path to its occurrence and aftermath. I wished some dramatic scenes had more dialogue rather than been simply narrated in order to move us quickly through; two scenes in particular: Moller and Julie in “Optical Illusion,” and Sam and his abusive father in “Calamity Sam.”
“Happy Enough,” a contradiction of the collection’s title, was my favourite story; a high achieving but paranoid and nosy lawyer moves into a small town with his journalist wife, and gets involved in all aspects of its affairs, only to discover that there have been others before him who have trod similar paths with not such positive results. The animal cruelty in “Terrarium” and “Rabbit” took me aback in the way it was stealthily built up and suddenly sprung on us. “Day One” was a cleverly crafted story of multiple voices intersecting on the day of a hit and run accident, revealing their interconnectedness. The fusing of two time sequences to portray the consequences of a decision in “Momentum” was brilliantly done. And the violent actions and morbid imaginations of the abused and marginalized were brought out dramatically in “Overgrowth” and “Refraction.” However, I thought that the time travel in “Bed & Breakfast’ was a bit much, as was the dying Patrick in “Pacific Standard” siring a baby. I was brought around by the chillingly realistic story “Bottle Rockets,” where the dysfunction caused by drugs, alcohol, spousal abuse, and confused sexuality, prevalent in many of the other stories, is compacted into the family and clients of the protagonist known only as Ms. Reid, a therapist in an addiction centre, leading her to the edge of the precipice, and leaving us to figure out whether she will succumb to those devils herself.
There is a lot of humanity packed into this small book, and when I finished it I realized the significance of the title. The author had succeeded in losing me inside the dark alleyways of human experience. I hadn’t been shown a way out, nor should I expect one, for life is not cut and dried. It was as if she was cheekily asking me, “Well, are you Lost Enough?” I was.
I was looking for an overarching theme, something that short story collections use to provide a framework for the reader, and I couldn’t find any. Instead there were several sub themes, shadings, if you will: postcard stories capturing moments that reveal a lot; same-sex relationships that appear frequently; stories about small town life in Alberta; stories about people who have lost direction and jumped ship, losing everything; older man-younger woman situations that do not blossom; older woman-younger man situations that fizzle. There is only one indigenous story that seems to be drawn from Blackfoot legend. Reading the author’s bio on the back cover I found it hard to relate the stories to her background and place of residence, and yet the collection rings with strong plausibility and human insight, suggesting a diverse life lived, and a fertile imagination.
The stories are well crafted, concise and incisive. An oft used device is to jump ahead of the dramatic event and retrace the path to its occurrence and aftermath. I wished some dramatic scenes had more dialogue rather than been simply narrated in order to move us quickly through; two scenes in particular: Moller and Julie in “Optical Illusion,” and Sam and his abusive father in “Calamity Sam.”
“Happy Enough,” a contradiction of the collection’s title, was my favourite story; a high achieving but paranoid and nosy lawyer moves into a small town with his journalist wife, and gets involved in all aspects of its affairs, only to discover that there have been others before him who have trod similar paths with not such positive results. The animal cruelty in “Terrarium” and “Rabbit” took me aback in the way it was stealthily built up and suddenly sprung on us. “Day One” was a cleverly crafted story of multiple voices intersecting on the day of a hit and run accident, revealing their interconnectedness. The fusing of two time sequences to portray the consequences of a decision in “Momentum” was brilliantly done. And the violent actions and morbid imaginations of the abused and marginalized were brought out dramatically in “Overgrowth” and “Refraction.” However, I thought that the time travel in “Bed & Breakfast’ was a bit much, as was the dying Patrick in “Pacific Standard” siring a baby. I was brought around by the chillingly realistic story “Bottle Rockets,” where the dysfunction caused by drugs, alcohol, spousal abuse, and confused sexuality, prevalent in many of the other stories, is compacted into the family and clients of the protagonist known only as Ms. Reid, a therapist in an addiction centre, leading her to the edge of the precipice, and leaving us to figure out whether she will succumb to those devils herself.
There is a lot of humanity packed into this small book, and when I finished it I realized the significance of the title. The author had succeeded in losing me inside the dark alleyways of human experience. I hadn’t been shown a way out, nor should I expect one, for life is not cut and dried. It was as if she was cheekily asking me, “Well, are you Lost Enough?” I was.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 7, 2017
Normally I am more attracted to book-length stories versus short story collections, but Lost Enough drew me in and I could not put it down. From the very start Sylvia and George, the key players of 'Handcrafting' intrigued me and I felt like I was was sitting with them close to their trailer as they contemplated human existence. 'Day One' demanded attention as the various characters opened up their lives to the challenges and fears and then suddenly twisted at the end implicating them all.
I was impressed with the way Anita Dolman was able to create such a strong setting for her stories, her gift with the English language creates profound scenes in short order, a necessary requirement as some of the stories as as short as a paragraph! The range and depth of her characters makes it hard to believe that these accounts are not real testimonies or personal reflections - the reader becomes fully engaged in their lives incredible speed.
At times, I found myself mesmerized by the range and depth of the individual stories, at other times I laughed with the characters or at their bizarre situations - climbing and Star Trek is all I will say - oh and 'Live Long and Prosper'! At the same time, sometimes I found myself surprised and even shocked and needed to catch my breath after a startling or troubling conclusion.
It is clear that the evolution of these stories has required a lot of thought and a great deal of observation of the human condition and and the world we live in. Dolman challenges the reader to struggle with the different life trajectories she has created and question challenging real world situations and contexts. I found it hard to believe that this was only the first collection that Dolman had written, but I am eager to see more in the future!
I was impressed with the way Anita Dolman was able to create such a strong setting for her stories, her gift with the English language creates profound scenes in short order, a necessary requirement as some of the stories as as short as a paragraph! The range and depth of her characters makes it hard to believe that these accounts are not real testimonies or personal reflections - the reader becomes fully engaged in their lives incredible speed.
At times, I found myself mesmerized by the range and depth of the individual stories, at other times I laughed with the characters or at their bizarre situations - climbing and Star Trek is all I will say - oh and 'Live Long and Prosper'! At the same time, sometimes I found myself surprised and even shocked and needed to catch my breath after a startling or troubling conclusion.
It is clear that the evolution of these stories has required a lot of thought and a great deal of observation of the human condition and and the world we live in. Dolman challenges the reader to struggle with the different life trajectories she has created and question challenging real world situations and contexts. I found it hard to believe that this was only the first collection that Dolman had written, but I am eager to see more in the future!
August 6, 2017
Anita Dolman is a promising writer who has two poetry chapbooks to her name and a bevy of publishing credits that would make most writers envious. (She’s been published in the Utne Reader, after all.) And, in the effort of giving full disclosure, she is a friend that I haven’t seen enough of. However, I’m not here to tell you that Lost Enough, her debut collection of short stories and micro-fiction, is a good book simply because I’m a friend — and speaking of friendship, she’s married to another friend, horror novelist James K. Moran, whose book Town & Train I also reviewed. I’m telling you that Lost Enough is a great book, friendship or no friendship.
In fact, I’d go so far as to say that this collection might very well be among the best books by a Canadian author that I’ve read in my life. No handwringing about Canada being a backwater country. No po-faced earnestness. No, what you get with Lost Enough are gripping, compelling stories that are sumptuously composed. Basically, if the world wasn’t such a cruel place, Anita Dolman should be a household name by now. Not only is her poetry great, but this collection proves that she’s a rarity — a poet who can also write captivating short fiction.
Read the rest of the review here: https://fityourself.club/a-review-of-...
In fact, I’d go so far as to say that this collection might very well be among the best books by a Canadian author that I’ve read in my life. No handwringing about Canada being a backwater country. No po-faced earnestness. No, what you get with Lost Enough are gripping, compelling stories that are sumptuously composed. Basically, if the world wasn’t such a cruel place, Anita Dolman should be a household name by now. Not only is her poetry great, but this collection proves that she’s a rarity — a poet who can also write captivating short fiction.
Read the rest of the review here: https://fityourself.club/a-review-of-...
July 26, 2017
such compassion in these stories about people struggling with the travails of ordinary life. and then the stories slip into sci fi and the supernatural, just a little bit. enough to make things surprising and somehow adding to the compassionate feel of the stories. mind readers, geriatric extraterrestrials, time travel mix with bed and breakfast, nursing, the every day. an engrossing read.
September 8, 2025
I love a good short story book that keeps pulling you in and wanting to read more. AJ has crafted some truly outstanding stories that will make you cheer. Scream, cry and even smile. A collection of stories of everyone doing their best and reaching for what they need.
November 27, 2017
I loved this book. While I wished most of the stories had been longer, they were also quite complete, and satisfyingly complex despite their short length. I was particularly pleased by the subtle dusting of little details challenging social gender and sexuality norms without forcing the topics on you. I curled up with a blanket and read the whole thing in a couple of days, couldn't put it down.
November 9, 2021
Disclosure: Anita Dolman is a new friend of mine.
I can’t pick a favourite story, but top contenders (in order of appearance) are Handcrafting, Day one, The Drop-Offs, Optical Illusion, and Happy Enough.
With Handcrafting I feel like I could read it yearly the rest of my life and still come up with new interpretations and insights, so it feels premature to put anything in writing quite yet. I will say though that Sylvia is an embodiment of how I imagine another fictional character: Helga Hufflepuff, the founder of Hufflepuff house in the Harry Potter universe. (The house whose symbol I have tattooed on my ribs and means so much to me still.)
Day one is kind of how my mind works a lot of the time. I can find socializing exhausting at times because I can’t help but think of what might everyone else be experiencing / thinking about / dealing with in the background. A cross between mind reading and empathy I suppose. I liked being able to see someone else looking at a situation from all angles with empathy. I would have had a very hard time keeping each snippet as short as they are if it was me writing! But none of them needed to be any longer.
The Drop-Offs was to me an interesting exploration of the assumptions we routinely make about other people; sometimes we’re right and sometimes we’re wrong. And sometimes other people can see us clearer than we can see ourselves.
Optical Illusion is such a beautifully tragic illustration of the fact that you can’t help people who don’t want the help. Also, if you’re the one who needs help, there are always far more people than you realize whose day you could make by asking them for help.
Happy Enough I think speaks to everyone who has ever felt in a rut or is otherwise deep into a multi-year commitment. It’s too easy to get stuck and not course correct. I liked that there was hope in the end that a course correct doesn’t always have to mean starting over entirely.
Others stories of note:
Overgrowth left an impression; who has never wanted to burn shit down (literally or figuratively)? Cathartic to read about someone doing it.
I loved Pacific Standard too (telepath who knows when everyone will die) but admit I don’t quite know what to do with it. I feel like it could easily have been the premise for a full-length book exploring end of life care and human kindness (or lack thereof). But instead, it went in a completely different tragic direction. I respect that but it feels like a gut wrench as well. I was rooting for her!
Similarly, Refraction I so want to love more than I do (a ‘me’ issue rather than the writing, I suspect). I appreciate a portrayal of schizophrenia that seems realistic rather than a caricature. Heartbreaking to think through the realities of it, but a super worthy thing to do. The discrepancy between the girl’s story and the police officer’s is the bit that’s deeply unsettling, as I suspect is the point. I feel like it could act like one of those inkblot tests; I imagine an English teacher one day asking their students, “Do you intuitively believe the girl or the police officer?” and have a good mix of both answers. A good opportunity to explore and discuss why that might be. Because of course it’s complicated! I crave a clearer answer but that would destroy that reflection on why it is that I don’t trust that police officer and how I could possibly be misplacing my trust.
I found Alumni Magazine, Classified Ad to be some unexpected dark levity in the middle of the collection like a palate cleanser. A similar kind of humour to that in the 2021 Black Widow movie; unappreciated by many and difficult to explain.
I love in Bed and Breakfast that Helen decides to take matters into her own hands and stop being complacent (codependent?) The set up was very much like a holiday themed rom com but had a much more satisfying twist end.
A Few Times a Year I thought was interesting in that it’s unexpected turn was a more submissive partner taking over the power from the more dominant one. As a switch I love that power dynamic and it seemed like introducing it may have been a turning point in that particular relationship.
By the way, I think the whole collection could have easily been titled Unexpected Turns. Be warned, a few of the stories should also come with some trigger warnings.
I can’t pick a favourite story, but top contenders (in order of appearance) are Handcrafting, Day one, The Drop-Offs, Optical Illusion, and Happy Enough.
With Handcrafting I feel like I could read it yearly the rest of my life and still come up with new interpretations and insights, so it feels premature to put anything in writing quite yet. I will say though that Sylvia is an embodiment of how I imagine another fictional character: Helga Hufflepuff, the founder of Hufflepuff house in the Harry Potter universe. (The house whose symbol I have tattooed on my ribs and means so much to me still.)
Day one is kind of how my mind works a lot of the time. I can find socializing exhausting at times because I can’t help but think of what might everyone else be experiencing / thinking about / dealing with in the background. A cross between mind reading and empathy I suppose. I liked being able to see someone else looking at a situation from all angles with empathy. I would have had a very hard time keeping each snippet as short as they are if it was me writing! But none of them needed to be any longer.
The Drop-Offs was to me an interesting exploration of the assumptions we routinely make about other people; sometimes we’re right and sometimes we’re wrong. And sometimes other people can see us clearer than we can see ourselves.
Optical Illusion is such a beautifully tragic illustration of the fact that you can’t help people who don’t want the help. Also, if you’re the one who needs help, there are always far more people than you realize whose day you could make by asking them for help.
Happy Enough I think speaks to everyone who has ever felt in a rut or is otherwise deep into a multi-year commitment. It’s too easy to get stuck and not course correct. I liked that there was hope in the end that a course correct doesn’t always have to mean starting over entirely.
Others stories of note:
Overgrowth left an impression; who has never wanted to burn shit down (literally or figuratively)? Cathartic to read about someone doing it.
I loved Pacific Standard too (telepath who knows when everyone will die) but admit I don’t quite know what to do with it. I feel like it could easily have been the premise for a full-length book exploring end of life care and human kindness (or lack thereof). But instead, it went in a completely different tragic direction. I respect that but it feels like a gut wrench as well. I was rooting for her!
Similarly, Refraction I so want to love more than I do (a ‘me’ issue rather than the writing, I suspect). I appreciate a portrayal of schizophrenia that seems realistic rather than a caricature. Heartbreaking to think through the realities of it, but a super worthy thing to do. The discrepancy between the girl’s story and the police officer’s is the bit that’s deeply unsettling, as I suspect is the point. I feel like it could act like one of those inkblot tests; I imagine an English teacher one day asking their students, “Do you intuitively believe the girl or the police officer?” and have a good mix of both answers. A good opportunity to explore and discuss why that might be. Because of course it’s complicated! I crave a clearer answer but that would destroy that reflection on why it is that I don’t trust that police officer and how I could possibly be misplacing my trust.
I found Alumni Magazine, Classified Ad to be some unexpected dark levity in the middle of the collection like a palate cleanser. A similar kind of humour to that in the 2021 Black Widow movie; unappreciated by many and difficult to explain.
I love in Bed and Breakfast that Helen decides to take matters into her own hands and stop being complacent (codependent?) The set up was very much like a holiday themed rom com but had a much more satisfying twist end.
A Few Times a Year I thought was interesting in that it’s unexpected turn was a more submissive partner taking over the power from the more dominant one. As a switch I love that power dynamic and it seemed like introducing it may have been a turning point in that particular relationship.
By the way, I think the whole collection could have easily been titled Unexpected Turns. Be warned, a few of the stories should also come with some trigger warnings.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews