Something's Burning

by Janet Trull

Following on the heels of her critically acclaimed first collection Hot Town and Other Stories an examination of relationships within communities continues in this new collection of short fiction, Something's Burning . The twenty-first century speeds ahead with fast-changing ideas about culture and identity, and a new choir of voices are telling their long-suppressed stories. Outdated belief systems are challenged. Society norms and hierarchies crumble. But fresh ideas cause tension between generations, sexes, races and neighbors. The population is at odds about the revised script. Is it the end of misogyny, or the end of men? Is it the end of social injustice or the end of loyalty? Is it the end of discrimination or the end of common sense? Some characters in these stories are oblivious to social change. Some are committed to stopping it. Some are invested in promoting their agendas at all cost. The bumper stickers on pick up trucks in the Foodland parking lot warn you that conflict awaits in the cereal aisle. The spacious landscapes where these stories take place are big enough for many opinions, but small enough to fall back on nostalgic principles. They represent the spectrum of joy and loss, and my enduring love for those who can find a balance between them.

Genres: Book Club

275 pages, Paperback

Published November 1, 2022

About the author

Janet Trull lives in the Haliburton Highlands, a land of blue lakes and rocky shores. She is the author of two critically acclaimed collections of short fiction, Hot Town and Something’s Burning, both published by At Bay Press (Winnipeg). With small town settings and big world themes, her stories examine the tension between neighbours, sexes, races and generations during times of social and cultural change. Her novel, End of the Line, was published in October, 2023 by Blue Denim Press.
A graduate of English at McMaster University, Trull focused on literacy throughout her career as an educator. She was a Reading Recovery teacher, a Literacy Coach and a Student Achievement Officer for the Ontario Ministry of Education. Currently, she is a freelance writer. Her essays, professional writing and short stories have appeared in a wide variety of publications, including the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, Canadian Living Magazine, Prairie Fire, The New Quarterly, subTerrain Magazine, and Geist. Subscribers to The Haliburton County Echo recognize Trull as a frequent contributor, with nostalgic essays about skinny dips, campfires and lazy afternoons in a hammock. These are accessible on her website, trullstories.com
Janet Trull is the recipient of several awards, including a CBC Canada Writes challenge, a Western Magazine Award nomination, and a Commonwealth Fiction prize.
Terry Fallis, two-time winner of the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour, says, “Janet Trull knows her way around people and communities as well as the issues that hold them together, and sometimes break them apart.”

Reviews

[Janet Trull · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hope you like this collection of short stories. The book is divided into four sections.
Part 1: Tinder
When you start a fire, you need tinder. And when you start a story, you need an idea. One of the stories, Swimming Free, started with a memory my husband and his brothers have about swimming at the YMCA as a kid in London, Ontario. Boys swam nude. No bathing suits were allowed in the outdoor pool. Research about that led me to the story of Slippery the Sea Lion who escaped from Storybook Park in London. Those two stories came together and made good tinder.
Part 2: Spark
Many of my friends and family members will recognize stories from this section. The sparks are often stories that have been told and retold and it might take a long time before something catches on fire. Sometimes it takes quite a few tries with the lighter or the match before a spark actually catches. The Nook is a story based on the family cottage. Cottagers will recognize the generational tension connected to the little bit of real estate where all the family memories are stored.
Part 3: Inferno
The fever pitch of the fire. This is the section where the themes of belonging and betrayal flare up and turn mean. Angry. Dangerous. Like The Hitchhiker, about a boy who accepts a ride on a lonely country road.
Part 4: Coals
This section has some difficult stories about characters caught in a tsunami of social
change.

[Tammy Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

The bumper stickers on pick up trucks in the Foodland parking lot warn you that conflict awaits in the cereal aisle.

How can you NOT read this?

Janet Trull creates characters that are broken and flawed and so very human, but she writes with a heart that celebrates their humanity.

[Kate Sutherland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each story is bursting with life, each unique and nostalgic. I loved this book.

[Marcia Mandel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intimate and evocative. I Love how it was crafted and where it took me.

[Kathy Stinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some 3 some 5 averages to 4

[Fay Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it!