I’ve started working on a collection of short stories. With a busy schedule, finding an hour in the morning is the only way to make this happen. Sticking to this new habit has been incredibly hard (and I have definitely missed some days), but when I look back on the amount that I’ve accomplished with that short little one hour a day, I feel elated. Granted, a lot of it is complete trash… but at least it’s my trash. I haven’t written fiction in years, and I feel as though I’m getting through the first hump of discomfort (although I expect that the discomfort will never go away).

I think part of the work of writing, is reading. As I don’t have too much experience with the short story form, I thought that I’d hit the books and do some exploring. I came across this list by Publisher’s Weekly titled The 10 Best Short Story Collections and figured that was probably as good a place as any to start. The first collection I chose was Because They Wanted To by Mary Gaitskill.

The Review

“In these raw, startling, and incandescently lovely stories, the author of Veronica yields twelve indelible portraits of people struggling with the disparity between what they want and what they know. “- from the back of the book

Common Themes in this Collection: rape, homosexuality, homelessness, sex (roleplaying, S&M), and regrets.

I was a little disappointed with this collection. I read this book from front to back, and was quickly struck by how closely each story resembled the last. Nearly every story is actually two stories: The narrative taking place in the beginning and the flashback narrative that the current events remind the protagonist of. Sometimes these transitions were clear, but a lot of the time I found myself backtracking and struggling to follow the narrative flow (am I in the past or present right now?). I understand that sometimes this structure can really work (and sometimes it really did) but, for many of the stories, it felt like she was relying too heavily on a formula. I just wanted her to try something new.

I mean, her grasp on character and dialogue was really excellent. I loved all the strong female characters, and I thought she captured some insightful and unsettling truths about what it means to be human, in love and trying to find your place in the world… but in the end the repetitive structure was just too distracting for me.

With that said, there were some stories that I thoroughly enjoyed. The collection features 13 short stories (although the last 4 function as a short novella titled “the Wrong Thing” as they all follow the same character).

My Favourites Were:

1. Because They Wanted To (the title story)

Elsie, after sneaking across the border to Vancouver, Canada, gets the only job she can find as an underage illegal alien: babysitting a frantic mother’s three children. The mother tells her she’ll be back by six, but the hours keep ticking by… 

2. Blanket

Valerie starts up a relationship with a younger man named Michael. Right from the beginning, their sexual interactions become infused with fantasy (role playing), but one night one of these fantasies goes too far.

3. Kiss and Tell

Lesly becomes obsessed with one of the waitresses at his work, an aspiring actress named Nicki. They have a short affair, but when her career finally takes off, she disappears from his life. Out of spite he writes a screenplay that does better than expected. 

4. The Wrong Thing (Turgor)

 A woman meets up with a younger man named Frederick. He goes home with her, but when she looks in his eyes, she’s unsettled by what she sees. 

Final Thoughts

The collection was shocking, but  not memorable. Although I spent a lot of time with my hand cupped over my mouth in disbelief, more often than not the raunchiness of the characters seemed too intentional on the part of the author. It felt like she was trying too hard to control the characters and the stories she’d placed them in. I just wanted her to let it go, and I knew she could. Because when she did you could tell… and it was breathtaking. Too bad these instances were so rare.

An Excerpt From The Title Story: Because They Wanted To

“She remembered herself and Rick and Robbie sitting at the breakfast table while their mother hurried around the room in her open coat, fixing pop-up waffles in the toaster. Their mother was always late for work. She paired their little glasses of juice with a quick, jerking motion. She put their plates before them with such force that the food almost slid off. All her movements were like the tail end of a great, bursting effort, like a grab for a lifeline in a midair leap. The children ate breakfast in the centre of this surging effort. Unknowingly they alighted with it. They supported their mother with the fierce secret movements of their breath and blood”