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Vermin: Short Stories
The stories in Vermin are linked by themes of loss, longing and a restaurant server in a Tofino restaurant reflects on the nature of men in her past and present; a woman prepares to marry a brooding artist unpopular with both her parents and her small town community; a new homeowner has strange encounters with a previous owner who is struggling to let go. Stories in this collection have appeared in Joyland, The Saturday Evening Post, Room, The Antigonish Review and other journals and anthologies.
- GenresShort StoriesFiction
240 pages, Paperback
Published October 22, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 8, 2020
As the economy continues to take a nose dive here in Alberta, I’m becoming more and more determined to read local and encouraging others to do the same. When possible, buying locally-authored books from an independent book store is even better because it keeps the money in your community PLUS it helps the publishing industry as a whole. Vermin by Lori Hahnel is a short story collection that’s been sitting on my shelf for far too long, so I’m glad I finally got the chance to read it. I don’t know why I kept putting it off because I blasted through it in a matter of days, some of the stories being only two or three pages long. With a wide range of settings, time periods and tones, every story was a new adventure to embark upon, and I found myself wishing many of the pieces were longer because I loved getting to know all the fearless females in these pages. I should also offer the disclaimer that I do know the author and fellow Calgarian Lori, I was lucky enough to serve on the Writers’ Guild of Alberta board of directors with her a few years ago, but as I always point out, I wouldn’t review books from friends of mine unless I truly loved them, so you can trust my opinion on this one.
Book Summary
Vermin contains 20 stories in less than 200 pages, and we encounter an incredible range of people and situations in such quick succession that the best way to describe this book is ‘whirlwind’. The majority of the stories focus on a woman who has been disappointed by a man. This disappointment comes in many forms; one man dies unexpectedly, another remains mysteriously withheld, one simply makes promises he can’t keep. Even young girls aren’t immune to the irritation of the opposite sex when a group of local older boys taunt them about the definition of ‘naughty’ words, and the girls get an earful after passing along their innocent inquiries to their parents. Hahnel also takes us inside the minds of some historical women, one of them being the (potentially fictional?) girlfriend of famous Canadian painter Tom Thomson. One of my favourites is “The Unchanging Sea” all about a woman falling for a man who likes his partners unattainable-the title is a reference to the way his eyes change once he realizes his object of affection is a human being with her own desires. But not all the stories center on men and woman, another notable piece details an afternoon of two old friends meeting up at a mall food court and slipping into their toxic roles from childhood. This isn’t a collection of stories about how men treat women badly, instead it’s a collection that highlights the breadth of emotion that’s born from subtle actions and major events alike.
Author Lori Hahnel
My Thoughts
Many of these stories aren’t focused on plot, instead, an event will happen off the page, and the majority of the narrative is taken up by our protagonist or narrator reacting to it. If a major shift does occur, it happens quickly, in a sentence or two, and we are left pondering the repercussions along with our characters. The titular story is chilling, and the threat remains mainly off page until we discover why the fear exists in the first place, and then this realization comes crashing down in the last few pages. Our brave female protagonist is bolder than given credit for, and she surprises both the herself and the reader with her nonchalance. “Reference Question” strikes me as a unique piece that stands out because its subject is so different from the rest. Our narrator is a very pregnant librarian, and she’s working an evening shift with a colleague who is enduring a round of chemotherapy. Halfway through the shift her coworker’s anti-nausea medication is stolen by a patron, and an urgent order is placed with the local pharmacy to get it refilled. When they say goodbye at the end of their night, it’s suggested they may never see each other again, and Hahnel perfect depicts that awkward goodbye between long-term coworkers. Even though so many of the stories focus on thwarted romance, there are outlying situations like these that remind us how fragile any kind of love lost can be.
My only complaint about this collection is that the shorter pieces seem unfinished. Ultimately, the book would have been stronger if these smaller pieces weren’t included. “Love Story” is told from a first-person perspective; a woman named Sandra whose partner Jack breaks up with her in a few paragraphs of text. The third and final page is Sandra witnessing Jack talking to a new woman, potentially a new love interest. The last few sentences are about Sandra’s confusion over whether or not Jack was happier: “I would have thought maybe he was happy, but he had that same strange look on his face I’d never seen before” (p. 139 of ARC). This last line is ambiguous, which left me pondering what the point of the story really was. I would have preferred getting to know Sandra more because the glimpses into her life were thought-provoking, but ultimately I wasn’t given enough to truly care about her.
Despite my minor complaint, Vermin is an immersive collection of short stories that demonstrate a notable breadth of talented writing. This can be read in a few short sittings, or drawn out over weeks because each setting and plot is so different from the last. Dipping in and out of this book is a rewarding way to read it, but if you’re anything like me, you won’t be able to hold back in devouring as many pages as time will allow.
To read the rest of my reviews, please visit my blog:
https://ivereadthis.com/
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Book Summary
Vermin contains 20 stories in less than 200 pages, and we encounter an incredible range of people and situations in such quick succession that the best way to describe this book is ‘whirlwind’. The majority of the stories focus on a woman who has been disappointed by a man. This disappointment comes in many forms; one man dies unexpectedly, another remains mysteriously withheld, one simply makes promises he can’t keep. Even young girls aren’t immune to the irritation of the opposite sex when a group of local older boys taunt them about the definition of ‘naughty’ words, and the girls get an earful after passing along their innocent inquiries to their parents. Hahnel also takes us inside the minds of some historical women, one of them being the (potentially fictional?) girlfriend of famous Canadian painter Tom Thomson. One of my favourites is “The Unchanging Sea” all about a woman falling for a man who likes his partners unattainable-the title is a reference to the way his eyes change once he realizes his object of affection is a human being with her own desires. But not all the stories center on men and woman, another notable piece details an afternoon of two old friends meeting up at a mall food court and slipping into their toxic roles from childhood. This isn’t a collection of stories about how men treat women badly, instead it’s a collection that highlights the breadth of emotion that’s born from subtle actions and major events alike.
Author Lori Hahnel
My Thoughts
Many of these stories aren’t focused on plot, instead, an event will happen off the page, and the majority of the narrative is taken up by our protagonist or narrator reacting to it. If a major shift does occur, it happens quickly, in a sentence or two, and we are left pondering the repercussions along with our characters. The titular story is chilling, and the threat remains mainly off page until we discover why the fear exists in the first place, and then this realization comes crashing down in the last few pages. Our brave female protagonist is bolder than given credit for, and she surprises both the herself and the reader with her nonchalance. “Reference Question” strikes me as a unique piece that stands out because its subject is so different from the rest. Our narrator is a very pregnant librarian, and she’s working an evening shift with a colleague who is enduring a round of chemotherapy. Halfway through the shift her coworker’s anti-nausea medication is stolen by a patron, and an urgent order is placed with the local pharmacy to get it refilled. When they say goodbye at the end of their night, it’s suggested they may never see each other again, and Hahnel perfect depicts that awkward goodbye between long-term coworkers. Even though so many of the stories focus on thwarted romance, there are outlying situations like these that remind us how fragile any kind of love lost can be.
My only complaint about this collection is that the shorter pieces seem unfinished. Ultimately, the book would have been stronger if these smaller pieces weren’t included. “Love Story” is told from a first-person perspective; a woman named Sandra whose partner Jack breaks up with her in a few paragraphs of text. The third and final page is Sandra witnessing Jack talking to a new woman, potentially a new love interest. The last few sentences are about Sandra’s confusion over whether or not Jack was happier: “I would have thought maybe he was happy, but he had that same strange look on his face I’d never seen before” (p. 139 of ARC). This last line is ambiguous, which left me pondering what the point of the story really was. I would have preferred getting to know Sandra more because the glimpses into her life were thought-provoking, but ultimately I wasn’t given enough to truly care about her.
Despite my minor complaint, Vermin is an immersive collection of short stories that demonstrate a notable breadth of talented writing. This can be read in a few short sittings, or drawn out over weeks because each setting and plot is so different from the last. Dipping in and out of this book is a rewarding way to read it, but if you’re anything like me, you won’t be able to hold back in devouring as many pages as time will allow.
To read the rest of my reviews, please visit my blog:
https://ivereadthis.com/
Sign up for my newsletter here: https://ivereadthis.com/subscribe/
Or follow me on social media!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ivereadthis/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ivereadthisblog
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ivereadthis
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCD6E...
December 3, 2020
These stories are written with such skill that they become immersive almost instantly. With a few lines of dialogue or a swift description, a world takes shape around you as you read.
What I appreciate most about the stories in this collection is their wide assortment of settings and subject matter. Though very much rooted in the realism central to the mainstream of Canadian story writing, and focussed on the importance of the small daily events in the larger landscapes of a full human life, there are stories here whose characters are important figures from the history of the arts beside other stories that feature ordinary working class folks struggling to make ends meet and to make sense of life. The settings sweep effortlessly from a hundred years in the past right up to the present day.
The stories I enjoyed most in this richly varied assortment are painted on a broad emotional canvas: they depict moments of absurd humour and gut wrenching seriousness all in a single work.
Good Friday at the Westward is maybe my favourite. It’s set in the Calgary bar band scene, a world totally unknown to me, yet I immediately felt both at home and ill-at-ease there. And such a wry and unexpected ending!
Ask Your Mom is another standout. A story that manages to somehow revere and respectfully chuckle at the dark mysteries of childhood, and to do so in a respectful and unflinching manner.
What I appreciate most about the stories in this collection is their wide assortment of settings and subject matter. Though very much rooted in the realism central to the mainstream of Canadian story writing, and focussed on the importance of the small daily events in the larger landscapes of a full human life, there are stories here whose characters are important figures from the history of the arts beside other stories that feature ordinary working class folks struggling to make ends meet and to make sense of life. The settings sweep effortlessly from a hundred years in the past right up to the present day.
The stories I enjoyed most in this richly varied assortment are painted on a broad emotional canvas: they depict moments of absurd humour and gut wrenching seriousness all in a single work.
Good Friday at the Westward is maybe my favourite. It’s set in the Calgary bar band scene, a world totally unknown to me, yet I immediately felt both at home and ill-at-ease there. And such a wry and unexpected ending!
Ask Your Mom is another standout. A story that manages to somehow revere and respectfully chuckle at the dark mysteries of childhood, and to do so in a respectful and unflinching manner.
December 14, 2020
A lovely collection of melancholy, with an interesting twist of going back and forth between the 20th and 21st centuries. It plays with the idea that certain human experiences are timeless; only the affectations and technology change...human frailties remain the same. Sad, moody, but very compelling.
January 2, 2021
An excellent collection of stories, each filled with intriguing and relatable characters, complicated and quirky relationships, and loads of tension. Also, there is such a variety in here of settings, personalities, and situations, that each story brings to life it’s own unique experience for the reader.
May 23, 2021
Lori Hahnel expertly transports the reader from 1849 Paris, to Tom Thomson's Ontario of 1917, the 1980's and Calgary's iconic Bowness Hotel, Long Beach B.C., and more. This collection wakened my interest in a number of historic artists/musicians, (all of whom interestingly died early). Hahnel also appears to have an encyclopedic knowledge of music which informs and connects the whole collection. Most of all, she captures the nuanced, ephemeral moments in the lives of her characters with a beautiful photographic clarity.
December 15, 2022
This is a lovely treasure of short stories. Some are a couple pages but pack a nice emotional punch, who am I kidding, they all were emotional charged. Loved it. I look forward to what Lori writes next.
January 23, 2023
A series of clever, often brilliantly touching and evocative stories. Several deal with music, including the wonderful “In a Mist”. The narrator puts herself into some highly ironic and sometimes touching, sometimes hilarious situations. The author shows a great sense of humour in this writing.
December 27, 2020
3.5 — really LOVED a couple of the stories, but many of them didn’t quite catch me. I loved the variety of setting and character, though.
January 3, 2021
Recommended collection of short stories by an Alberta author.
March 14, 2021
I enjoyed reading this, but only two of the twenty stories in this collection really stuck with me. The strongest we’re Chicken, This is a Test, and A Good Long Life.
August 2, 2021
A book perfect if you don’t have a lot of time but what a full story. Short stories that have interesting and real characters.
October 29, 2025
Of the 20 stories in Lori Hahnel's collection, Vermin, five feature music, and another five are set in the first half of the 20th Century. At first, I wondered why they weren't grouped together accordingly instead of staggered as they are, but I see now that the juxtaposition of certain stories gives them an extra note. For example, "Dominion" is told by Winnie in 1917, who has run off with Tom Thomson, of whom her parents disapprove. Next to it is the title story, "Vermin," told by Becka, whose parents disapprove of her boyfriend Ray, and whose boss will disapprove of her new friend Dirk, who is gay. In each case, as Winnie says, "we're different from other people." In "Awkward Positions," a contemporary story, Liz looks after her nephew Ben because his own father is manic, irresponsible, incapable. This story sits beside "No One to Love," set in 1860 and 1903, which is also about a man incapable of being a good father, a songwriter whose career sinks into alcohol. There are stories of childhood, of what friends can make you do, and more, ranging from Vancouver Island to Alberta to NYC.
April 2, 2023
Vermin is a wonderful collection of short stories that at times don't feel like stories at all. I found myself more than once getting so into the narrative that it felt like a scene from real life. Very well written, powerful characters, I highly recommend it.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews