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Mennonites Don't Dance
*Shortlisted for the 2011 Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Book
*Shortlisted for the 2011 Danuta Gleed Literary Award
*Shortlisted for the 2012 Evergreen Award
This vibrant collection of short fictions explores how families work, how they are torn apart, and, in spite of differences and struggles, brought back together. Darcie Friesen Hossack's stories in Mennonites Don't Dance offer an honest, detailed look into the experiences of children - both young and adult - and their parents and grandparents, exploring generational ties, sins, penance, and redemption.
Taking place primarily on the Canadian prairies, the families in these stories are confronted by the conflict between tradition and change. One story sees a daughter-in-law's urban ideals push and pull against a mother's simple, rural, ways. In another, a daughter raised in the Mennonite tradition tries to break free from her upbringing to escape to the city in search of a better life.
*Shortlisted for the 2011 Danuta Gleed Literary Award
*Shortlisted for the 2012 Evergreen Award
This vibrant collection of short fictions explores how families work, how they are torn apart, and, in spite of differences and struggles, brought back together. Darcie Friesen Hossack's stories in Mennonites Don't Dance offer an honest, detailed look into the experiences of children - both young and adult - and their parents and grandparents, exploring generational ties, sins, penance, and redemption.
Taking place primarily on the Canadian prairies, the families in these stories are confronted by the conflict between tradition and change. One story sees a daughter-in-law's urban ideals push and pull against a mother's simple, rural, ways. In another, a daughter raised in the Mennonite tradition tries to break free from her upbringing to escape to the city in search of a better life.
180 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
March 28, 2014
Perhaps you can think of better ways of spending your free time than reading stories about Mennonites and their life on Canadian prairies, but all in all Mennonites Don't Dance doesn't do half bad.
These stories fit squarely into the lore of remote, small town, somewhere in flat and rural Canada (most take place in Saskatchewan, though there's one or two which move a bit further west and into Alberta). There is a sense of community in here, but one filled with the dark undercurrents of grief, suffering and failure. The occasional moments of humor are bleak against the ever-present backdrop of hardship and struggle; interestingly enough I felt that the religious element doesn't play that big of a role, and that the protagonists could belong to any ordinary Christian denomination and would act and behave in pretty much the same way.
The stories are rooted in the prairie experience so much that they never get a real chance to become very diverse, and speak for themselves. You might find yourself admiring the author's craft but having trouble differentiating between her stories after reading them; characters and their hardship get lost in the setting and the general themes. This is the common trait of regional fiction, where land takes priority over the person. Not necessarily required reading - but not bad and regrettable one, either.
And what beautiful cover art!
These stories fit squarely into the lore of remote, small town, somewhere in flat and rural Canada (most take place in Saskatchewan, though there's one or two which move a bit further west and into Alberta). There is a sense of community in here, but one filled with the dark undercurrents of grief, suffering and failure. The occasional moments of humor are bleak against the ever-present backdrop of hardship and struggle; interestingly enough I felt that the religious element doesn't play that big of a role, and that the protagonists could belong to any ordinary Christian denomination and would act and behave in pretty much the same way.
The stories are rooted in the prairie experience so much that they never get a real chance to become very diverse, and speak for themselves. You might find yourself admiring the author's craft but having trouble differentiating between her stories after reading them; characters and their hardship get lost in the setting and the general themes. This is the common trait of regional fiction, where land takes priority over the person. Not necessarily required reading - but not bad and regrettable one, either.
And what beautiful cover art!
January 30, 2019
The winds of the Saskatchewan prairie blow through Darcie Friesen Hossack’s collection of eleven short stories, giving it a strong sense of place. Mennonites Don’t Dance is not memoir, though her acknowledgements suggest the young writer’s origins. And though Mennonite culture may inform the author’s themes, it does not define all of her complex and flawed characters, often molded by the push and pull of rural and urban ideals, untreated trauma, loneliness, desire for revenge, and forgiveness.
Setting and characters from multiple generations connect these stories, which move backward and forward in time. I found myself wondering about what happened to Magda, and found her again, all grown up in another chapter. Chapters entitled Ice House, Little Lamb, Dandelion Wine, and Loft give clues to Canadian farm life in a western province. Her description of the village party line, sledding down a hill, wedging oneself between hay bales recalled my own Mennonite childhood in the 1950s.
Darcie’s writing, reminiscent of Alice Munro’s style, has a “you-are-there” quality, engaging the reader in plot and mood. Overall, the mood is brooding and bleak, so if you wish for nostalgic, feel-good stories, you would need to look elsewhere. However, the writing is nuanced and detailed—simply beautiful. For example, I noticed subtlety in the chapter titled Ashes: “Such little things. It would be easier for Libby to do them herself rather than always nag. So when Anke notices the soap is covered in muddy bubbles that puddle on the sink’s crackled porcelain, she gives it all a rinse. There, you see? She has flushed an argument down the drain by doing the chore herself.”
Hossack’s book was shortlisted for several literary awards. I look forward to future work from this promising author, perhaps her novel in progress What Looks In.
Setting and characters from multiple generations connect these stories, which move backward and forward in time. I found myself wondering about what happened to Magda, and found her again, all grown up in another chapter. Chapters entitled Ice House, Little Lamb, Dandelion Wine, and Loft give clues to Canadian farm life in a western province. Her description of the village party line, sledding down a hill, wedging oneself between hay bales recalled my own Mennonite childhood in the 1950s.
Darcie’s writing, reminiscent of Alice Munro’s style, has a “you-are-there” quality, engaging the reader in plot and mood. Overall, the mood is brooding and bleak, so if you wish for nostalgic, feel-good stories, you would need to look elsewhere. However, the writing is nuanced and detailed—simply beautiful. For example, I noticed subtlety in the chapter titled Ashes: “Such little things. It would be easier for Libby to do them herself rather than always nag. So when Anke notices the soap is covered in muddy bubbles that puddle on the sink’s crackled porcelain, she gives it all a rinse. There, you see? She has flushed an argument down the drain by doing the chore herself.”
Hossack’s book was shortlisted for several literary awards. I look forward to future work from this promising author, perhaps her novel in progress What Looks In.
August 16, 2011
This really deserves 3.5 stars - it's almost a 4. These stories are excellent - all interconnected in a way, some through characters, all through place and theme. They're beautifully edited and except for a few annoying typos (words repeated or not deleted in editing, not actual misspellings), they're gorgeous explorations of the difficulty we experience expressing and accepting love. When you finish a collection of short stories and immediately catch yourself thinking, 'what's she going to do do next?' you know you've found an author to add to your must-read collection.
One of the things I was thinking about while reading these stories was that they do, in many ways, fit squarely into a Canadian tradition of literature about the rural experience. But these are more than that, since it's the tension between the rural and the urban and the religious and the secular that motivates them.
One of the things I was thinking about while reading these stories was that they do, in many ways, fit squarely into a Canadian tradition of literature about the rural experience. But these are more than that, since it's the tension between the rural and the urban and the religious and the secular that motivates them.
December 11, 2018
Absolutely beautiful collection of short stories. Both the way the words flow, and the unexpected twists in stories themselves are stunning. I got this book from the local library but am ordering a copy for myself. It will be a volume I return to again and again. Highly recommend.
August 29, 2011
A rather somber book......but beautifully written.
May 28, 2017
Wonderful collection of short stories.
June 16, 2017
A beautiful book. I grew up in a religious farming community, the stories in this book really resonated with me.
January 28, 2018
This is a collection of dark stories about dysfunctional families with inter-generational struggles who just happen to be Mennonite. I wouldn't say most of them are specifically about being Mennonite, as many of the situations could happen to anyone in a small community. As I often find with short stories, I wished many of the stories were longer, as we just start to get to know the characters and the story is over. The author does know how to create complex and flawed characters, and I would like to see what she can do with a novel. I do wish she had balanced the dark stories with some happier events. There is a bit too much mental illness, too many cold, unfeeling fathers, and too many grudges. I was also bothered by the anachronisms in some of the stories. Microwave ovens and wringer washers do not belong in the same story, nor do home pregnancy tests and wood stoves, even in Mennonite communities (at least not the one I grew up in).
November 4, 2024
A collection of stories based on the Saskatchewan prairies. Each one having one parent who is cruel to their children be it physically or mentally and the other parent who chooses to overlook their spouses cruelty to “keep the peace”.
I’ve lived with men who power trip & think being mean is funny. “It was just a joke”, “stop taking things so seriously”.
Being asked as a young teen if I wanted to go to the movies with the rest of the family & upon arrival at the theatres was told the invite was to come, he’d not said anything about paying for my ticket. From then on I’d say no & was called moody & rude for not wanting to do things with the family. 🙄
I tried to be a buffer from those type of people for my kids.
I’ve lived with men who power trip & think being mean is funny. “It was just a joke”, “stop taking things so seriously”.
Being asked as a young teen if I wanted to go to the movies with the rest of the family & upon arrival at the theatres was told the invite was to come, he’d not said anything about paying for my ticket. From then on I’d say no & was called moody & rude for not wanting to do things with the family. 🙄
I tried to be a buffer from those type of people for my kids.
July 6, 2024
Ate it up in one sitting like a plate of rollkuchen and watermelon. Beautifully written. Probably one of the best books of short stories I’ve ever read.
September 24, 2024
Darcy Friesen Hossack is an absolute master at her craft. This collection of short stories are perfect.
May 17, 2025
Some good stories, some not so good stories. I didn't have the urge to read through this book quickly, as most of the stories have a rather bleak outlook.
February 14, 2011
The stories are fiction but oh so believable, and how they bring out the emotions behind each action, and help put back together some of my rural relationships, meaning I have greater understanding and empathy of and with people. Each story, each sentence really, grips me and I enjoy the ease with which the author flashes backward and forward in time. Here's an example from Penelope who goes back to her mother's house in Swift Current (Canada) for the first time since inheriting her mother's house: "The house too, has deteriorated. The original wooden front steps have bowed even deeper for not being shovelled all winter. And the whole structure leans more to the left, away from the prairie wind. I climb the worn, arthritic steps up to the porch and discover that one of the front windows is broken, probably by a neighbourhood boy throwing stones. I pick up the larger pieces of glass that have sheared from the rotted frame and set them on the porch rail."
November 13, 2010
The writing in "Mennonites Don't Dance" is engaging, and the book is, by and large, difficult to put down. I suspect it will also be difficult to forget. These are both good qualities in a book. I would have liked a little variety in the tone of the stories, however. While I don't mind "difficult" subject material, and do not shy away from it, I would have liked to have seen a different, less bleak tone, in one or two stories.
Hossack's voice is strong, however, and should not...can not be ignored. She has captured a time and a culture that we want to read about. Each story has similar, in some cases, related characters, but the one character that permeates every story is that of the Mennonite culture. Simple food and simple prayers do make for complex tales.
A good read, worth spending time on.
Hossack's voice is strong, however, and should not...can not be ignored. She has captured a time and a culture that we want to read about. Each story has similar, in some cases, related characters, but the one character that permeates every story is that of the Mennonite culture. Simple food and simple prayers do make for complex tales.
A good read, worth spending time on.
May 26, 2011
I desperately wish that I hadn't had to read this book at the doctor's office. I was stuck at the doctor's for almost 2 hours and had been fasting since the night before. THis book was my solace, but I'm sure I missed some of the details in some of the stories due to my situation.
That said, there's a lot of good in this book. Wonderful description and some interesting characters. I found the stories to be very dark, and I liked how they revealed some of the darker sides of Mennonites. At first, I expected a tough patriarch in every story, but that motif went away and changed. These are stories about families, mainly about prairie families falling apart.
I intend to recommend this book to a friend of mine who is interested in Mennonite stories. I really liked the title story, and couldn't read these stories without being affected by them. Powerful stuff.
That said, there's a lot of good in this book. Wonderful description and some interesting characters. I found the stories to be very dark, and I liked how they revealed some of the darker sides of Mennonites. At first, I expected a tough patriarch in every story, but that motif went away and changed. These are stories about families, mainly about prairie families falling apart.
I intend to recommend this book to a friend of mine who is interested in Mennonite stories. I really liked the title story, and couldn't read these stories without being affected by them. Powerful stuff.
July 29, 2012
Short stories, the first offering from Darcie Friesen Hossack - and I will be eagerly awaiting her next book! While written by a Canadian Author, set mostly in the Canadian Prairies (Swift Current and Calgary dominate) and in the Mennonite culture, that is not what defines them. These stories tell of the universal experience of families, the realities of human interactions, and human emotions. Each one has a different flavour to it, and each one communicates all it needs to in the time it has.
I thoroughly enjoyed these stories - even the ones that left me with a tear in my eye.
While many other reviewers have referred to the stories as dark or depressing, I found that many of them offer hope at the end, and imply that better things are coming to the individuals involved.
I thoroughly enjoyed these stories - even the ones that left me with a tear in my eye.
While many other reviewers have referred to the stories as dark or depressing, I found that many of them offer hope at the end, and imply that better things are coming to the individuals involved.
November 6, 2015
I feel like I just allowed myself to get puked on. Or I could say sh** on since that was one of the author's frequent words of choice.
Well written but a depressing and pessimistic portrayal of Mennonites. I must know a different kind of Mennonite than the author does or has imagined in these short stories. One thing I've always noticed is that most of them value their family quite highly and, even if they swear a blue streak, they don't use God's name carelessly and never curse him (out loud anyway). I was surprised how often that occurred throughout these short stories.
Anyways off to read something a little more uplifting that will get me out of the sh** pile I was wallowing in with most of those poor characters.
Well written but a depressing and pessimistic portrayal of Mennonites. I must know a different kind of Mennonite than the author does or has imagined in these short stories. One thing I've always noticed is that most of them value their family quite highly and, even if they swear a blue streak, they don't use God's name carelessly and never curse him (out loud anyway). I was surprised how often that occurred throughout these short stories.
Anyways off to read something a little more uplifting that will get me out of the sh** pile I was wallowing in with most of those poor characters.
April 9, 2016
3.5 stars
This is a book of short stories, all of which are set on the Canadian Prairies, mostly on farms run by Mennonite families.
I enjoyed this more than most short story collections. The first couple weren't as interesting to me, but they got better, I thought. I loved that one later story brought me up to date on the characters from one of the earlier stories. My dad's family is Mennonite, so of the Mennonite references, I mostly just caught the food, but that was kind of fun for me, too. I also recognized some of the little German/Mennonite towns in Saskatchewan, as it was where Dad grew up.
This is a book of short stories, all of which are set on the Canadian Prairies, mostly on farms run by Mennonite families.
I enjoyed this more than most short story collections. The first couple weren't as interesting to me, but they got better, I thought. I loved that one later story brought me up to date on the characters from one of the earlier stories. My dad's family is Mennonite, so of the Mennonite references, I mostly just caught the food, but that was kind of fun for me, too. I also recognized some of the little German/Mennonite towns in Saskatchewan, as it was where Dad grew up.
July 22, 2011
Bought this while traveling in Canada. It is a collection of short stories which generally deal with family relationships. In some cases, the Mennonite community is part of the story, in other stories it is in the background. Regardless, the stories are universal and glimpse of Mennonite culture is a bonus. As might be expected of a collection, the stories are uneven, with some being more memorable than others.
March 29, 2014
Surprisingly good book from the writer nobody's heard about.
Very vivid portrayal, I got the sense that some of it was autobiographical.
I admit, I had to look up Mennonites in Wikipedia, and I was expecting them to be something like the Amish. I don't know if they are or not, the book doesn't really go there.
Very vivid portrayal, I got the sense that some of it was autobiographical.
I admit, I had to look up Mennonites in Wikipedia, and I was expecting them to be something like the Amish. I don't know if they are or not, the book doesn't really go there.
December 19, 2011
A very engaging collection of short stories and interesting characters. A quick read. I enjoyed how one of the characters came up briefly in another story, it was nice to know what happened to them! These were also my two favourite short stories.
November 18, 2011
Though this was couched in terms of a Mennonite community, this will resonate with anyone who has grown up in a small town.
July 4, 2012
Very interesting (and kind of dark) short stories about family life.
July 3, 2012
An interesting short story collection. Not a happy, uplifting read, but very well done and thought provoking. Reminded me of the writings of Alice Munro.
May 23, 2013
Very well written, but also very sad. Don't read this if you're sensitive to animals being killed (after all, it's life on the farm).
Excited to see what this author writes next!
Excited to see what this author writes next!
July 15, 2013
Wonderful stories, well-written. They had such a familiar feel to me.
February 16, 2014
very well written but oh so sad.
August 12, 2016
A well-written, but, bleak short story collection that focuses on the politics of power and how it plays out in parent/child relationships.
March 17, 2015
Dark and dreary.
September 19, 2014
Lovely little stories. Twisted but reality...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews