Stories trace Schoemperlen’s writerly evolution

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This article was published 08/07/2017 (3299 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Since 1974, Diane Schoemperlen has been producing fine, often-quirky and sardonic short stories about young Canadian women grappling with self-identity and elusive love. She won the 1998 Governor General’s Award for her collection Forms of Devotion: Stories and Pictures.

Born in Thunder Bay, Schoemperlen started her writing career in Alberta and now lives in Kingston, Ont. Last year, she published This Is Not My Life, a riveting memoir that juxtaposes a critique of the Canadian prison system and a revealing account of her romance with a convicted killer.

Her latest collection, First Things First, is a retrospective, pulling together 24 stories published between 1974 and 1991. Eight of these are published in book form for the first time.

The stories are presented in the order in which Schoemperlen wrote them. The stories get better, more assured and more insightful, over the years. The final four are exceptional, highlighting the author’s strengths and giving three-dimensional pictures of authentic characters and their worlds.

Some of her signature innovative work is represented here. To Whom It May Concern is made up of four letters written by Vera right after she separates from Stewart: one to her mother, one to Stewart’s parents, one to her good friend, and a fourth to the people taking over her house. None of the Above is a multiple-choice story where the reader can choose from five options at each stage of the narrative to determine what happens.

The Long Way Home gives a down-to-earth comparison of married Mary and single Ruth. “(Ruth) often wondered why women spend so much time doing things to make men fall in love with them, while the men all expect to be loved just the way they are.”

How Myrna Survives, a story in 20 numbered sections, tells what 32-year-old Myrna does and doesn’t do to get by without going insane. “Myrna doesn’t pick up men in strange bars anymore. There is the fear of disease, of course, and the problem of breakfast: what to make without appearing too domestic or grateful, or whether to stay in bed with her head covered up, waiting for him to comb his hair and leave.”

In Trick Questions, Janice is the second wife of Sam, an astronomy professor. This delightful story is highlighted by questions people often ask, “the same questions other men, other husbands, might well be asking other women, other wives, anywhere:

“‘Why is the baby crying?’

“‘Why can’t you make the baby stop crying?’

“‘Please, I’m so tired, would you please rub my back?’”

Then there are comments simply overheard, such as the one from a woman on a bus being taken by protagonist Jane in As Far As It Goes: “‘Yes, he’s a great ex-husband and he was a wonderful boyfriend. It was just the husband part he was lousy at.’”

Most impressive is Love in the Time of Clichés, an enjoyably erotic story that makes fun of happy-marriage adages and ultimately avoids them.

Dave Williamson is the Winnipeg author of 10 books, including the collection Accountable Advances.