Death Sentences

Suzanne Myre, Cassidy Hildebrand

Description

Death may seem a grim subject matter but, in the capable hands of Suzanne Myre, nothing is beyond humour. Though at times sincere, sorrowful, and even a tad gruesome, Death Sentences is also wry, mordant, and amusingly ironic.

Death Sentences features 13 unique short stories, thematically united by death, sex, and existential angst. Solitary and dejected characters explore Montreal’s parks and alleys, seeking comfort and contending with their own everyday tragedies. A woman contemplates the deadly consequences of an almond croissant; another escapes her worries in a monastery. Precocious children’s fates are intertwined with a Rottweiler’s. Young girls fall in love with the most unlikely partners and a woman seeks salvation in a most unconventional way. The tales in Death Sentences intrigue, surprise, and entertain, from one page to the next.

Sujets

• Short Stories
• Fiction

Informations

• Publié par: University of Ottawa Press
• Date de parution: 30 septembre 2014
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9780776621708
• Langue: English

Extrait

DEATH SENTENCES

SUZANNE MYRE

DEATH SENTENCES

Page e bank înenîonay

SUZANNE MYRE DEATH SENTENCES

Transaed by Cassîdy Hîdebrand

Unîversîy o Oawa Press îerary Transaîon Coecîon

heUnîversîyoOawaPressacknowedgeswîgraîudeesupporexended o îs pubîsîng îs by Herîage Canada roug e Canada Book Fund, by e Canada Councî or e Ars, by e Federaîon or e Humanîîes and Socîa Scîences roug e Awards o Scoary Pubîcaîons Program and by e Unî- versîy o Oawa.

Copy edîîng: îsa Hannaord Prooreadîng: Trîs O'Reîy-Brennan Typeseîng: Aeîer Typo Jane Cover desîgn: Aîne Corrêa de Souza and Édîscrîp Cover îusraîon: Aîne Corrêa de Souza

Library and ArcHives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Myre, Suzanne, 1961-[Mîses à mor. Engîs] Dea senences / Suzanne Myre; ransaed by Cassîdy Hîdebrand.

Transaîon o: Mîses à mor.Sor sorîes.ïssued în prîn and eecronîc ormas. ïSBN 978-0-7766-2209-5 (pbk.).--ïSBN 978-0-7766-2170-8 (pd).-- ïSBN 978-0-7766-2169-2 (epub)

 ï. Hîdebrand, Cassîdy, 1985-, ransaor ïï. Tîe. ïïï. Tîe: Mîses à mor. Engîs.

PS8576.Y75M5713 2014 C2014-905795-4

Prîned în Canada © Unîversîy o Oawa Press, 2014

C843'.6 C2014-905794-6

Preace

Vîe Cîy

Te Bîrday Gî

Mîssîng Hug

Ce Pones în e Aîr

Bîer Ases

Don’ Fa Aseep!

Feîx and e Ca

He oves Her So Muc

Spo o Savaîon

ïn e Box

Dea o a Guard Dog

Marîe, o Dea

Mona’s Rerea

Table of Contents

vîî

1

2

3

4

5

1

9

3

9

5

3

1

61

6

7

8

9

9

7

7

5

1

9

Page e bank înenîonay

Preface

eat Sentencesîs a sor sory coecîon rom Monrea D wrîer Suzanne Myre comprîsîng îreen sorîes a expore e u gamu o dea—rangîng rom accîden and naura causes o murder, suîcîde, and eîcîde. ï expores dea no ony în e îera sense, bu în e meaporîca sense as we. ïn spîe o îs morbîd subjec maer, e work îs no devoîd o umour; oug a îmes sîncere, sorrowu and maybe even a ad gruesome, î’s aso amusîngy îronîc, mordan and ceeky. Beyond e caenges îneren în e ransaîon o sor sorîes—or any orm o Icîon, or a maer—îs ransaîon îs compîcaed by e reaîonsîp beween e sorîes. hîs reaîonsîp dîsînguîsesDeat Sentencesrom e ‘radîîona’ sor sory coecîon, wîc can be deIned as a group o auonomous, mîsceaneous sorîes, wrîen by a sînge auor and assembed în a book. houg e sorîes în suc coecîons may possess some common eemens, e readîng o one doesn’ necessarîy înLuence e readîng o anoer—eac îs îs own creaîon, o be consîdered în îs own rîg. he coecîons în wîc sorîesdoînersec and serve as a coesîve unî, suc as ose înDeat Sentences, represen a

viiiDeath Sentences

subgenre o e sor sory coecîon, a modernîs orm com- mony reerred o as e ‘sor sory cyce.’ Cyces are sîmîar o sor-sory coecîons o e radî- îona varîey în a ey are composed o auonomous sor sorîes. However, ey dîverge însoar as eîr sorîes are aso înerconneced, sîmuaneousy ormîng a ragmened ye unîIed work. ïn îs respec, e sor sory cyce sares a ceraîn kînsîp wî e nove as we, bu unîke noves, cyces do no conaîn a unîIed po. Cyces are coesîve în varyîng ways and o varyîng degrees, bu generay, în order or a coecîon o be consîdered a cyce, some basîc requîremens need o be me. Gerad ync, wo as wrîen exensîvey on e subjec, îdenîIes our caracerîsîcs o a sor sory cyce, e Irs wo o wîc e deems “major,” e second wo o wîc e consîders “mînor.” Fîrs, cyces commony eaure recurrîng caracers. hese mus no necessarîy be e same caracers, bu coud aso be a ceraîn personaîy ype, suc as e oner, e drîter, e dreamer, ec. hey may even be dîferen versîons o e same person. Second, e sorîes mus sare a common seîng. Wîe îs seîng may be a rea or Icîona geograpîc ocae, î may aso be an aegorîca seîng. hîrd, e sorîes mus dîspay a ‘emaîc unîy,’ înerwoven by a eas one, oug ypîcay severa, emaîc reads. Fînay, e sorîes may sare a sye and one. Wîe a coecîon need no încude every singecaracerîsîc în order o be înerpreed as a cyce, ync argues a î soud, a mînîmum, încude recurrîng caracers or seîngs, and be coesîve în erms o sye, one, 1 and eme as we. ïn addîîon o ese our caracerîsîcs, a undamena condîîon o a sor sory cyce îs a, wîîn e conex o e coecîon, e sorîes acîeve new meanîng. Readîng ese sorîes în conjuncîon wî one anoer us aers or înensîIes eîr sîgnîIcance.

1. ync, Gerad.he One and te Many: Engis-Canadian Sort Story Cyces. Torono: Unîversîy o Torono Press, 2001, p. 20–21.

Preface ix

he îreen sorîes oDeat Sentencesare bo dîsînc and înerwîned, sarîng no ony e overarcîng eme o dea, bu aso eaurîng sîmîar caracers, a common seîng, and consîsencîes în erms o sye and one, uîmaey makîng îs work a cyce—Iîng or a coecîon abou îe and dea. hougDeat Sentencesdoes no conaîn recurrîng caracers, e îndîvîduas popuaîng ese sorîes ave peny în common. Amos excusîvey, ey’re ousîders wo srugge (or ave no desîre) o I în wî a group or o conorm o socîey a arge. here’s Syvîe, e cynîca, preenîous sînge woman, wo spends er Saurday nîgs aone; e unîdenî- Ied proagonîs o “Ce Pones în e Aîr” wo despîses anyîng pubîc and îs a se-decared îndîvîduaîs; e unnamed proagonîs o “he Bîrday Gît,” wose cîdren never vîsî and wo “so rarey speak[s] ou oud”; Joanîe, e rîendess, afecîon-sarved young gîr; Poppy, e oney Ro- weîer wo ongs or noîng bu a paymae. he îs goes on. Essenîay, e caracers oDeat Sentences are soîary, dejeced, dîspîrîed, and ove-sarved peope (and anîmas), seekîng comor and conendîng wî an oten sor îe în a cod, crue, and unorgîvîng word. ïn regard o e seîng, e cîy o Monrea serves as e common sompîng (or kîîng) grounds. houg e cîy îs never named, varîous Monrea parks and neîgbouroods serve as backdrops; aes are seaed în Ouremon, peope pracîce aî cî în Badwîn Park, grocery sop în e Paeau and rerea rom e meropoîan mass o Mon-Saîn-Hîaîre. Even în e absence o expîcî reerences, descrîpîons în e ex are remînîscen o an urban ocae a coud easîy be consrued as Monrea. Caracers îve în wak-up aparmens, dry aundry on coesînes angîng over aeys, wak o (Caoîc) curc and o e dépanneur, ec. hey aso wac ockey games wî payers wearîng red, bue and wîe, e coours o e Monrea Canadîens. hey’re e coours o oer eams oo (îke e New York Rangers, or exampe), bu wen readîng îs în e conex oDeat Sentences, aongsîde