Margaret Lives in the Basement: StoriesMichelle Berry has one of the most darkly playful and unique voices in Canadian literature and her second collection of short stories, Margaret Lives in the Basement is no exception. At its heart are characters full of longing, trapped by circumstance and unable to reach out or connect with one another. Whether it's Margaret in the basement and her neighbours above, or two couples working out their family melodramas over dinner, there is always the presence of others but rarely a connection between them. By twists and turns Berry subverts what we know to be normal and arrives at something, though strange, more real than we like to admit. |
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Page 13
... stares at the stars . He's in his white space and nothing can bring him out of it . There is no blood - red anger any more , just quiet calmness . He pounded the grass until his arms were sore and his fists were bruised . Kelly is ...
... stares at the stars . He's in his white space and nothing can bring him out of it . There is no blood - red anger any more , just quiet calmness . He pounded the grass until his arms were sore and his fists were bruised . Kelly is ...
Page 50
... stares , willing his eyes to adjust to the dim- ness . He concentrates on that coffin in the middle of her living- room floor . He thinks about that show he saw on TV a while back , that show about voodoo and New Orleans and black ...
... stares , willing his eyes to adjust to the dim- ness . He concentrates on that coffin in the middle of her living- room floor . He thinks about that show he saw on TV a while back , that show about voodoo and New Orleans and black ...
Page 120
... stares at Darlene's plump body until a flush breaks out on her neck and shoulders . " Staring so hard won't get " What ? " them off , " Darlene says . " My clothes . They won't come off with just a stare . " Darlene laughs again . She ...
... stares at Darlene's plump body until a flush breaks out on her neck and shoulders . " Staring so hard won't get " What ? " them off , " Darlene says . " My clothes . They won't come off with just a stare . " Darlene laughs again . She ...
Contents
The Woodshed | 17 |
Margaret Lives in the Basement | 39 |
Burning Builds Character | 75 |
Copyright | |
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air conditioner Amy's apartment asks baby basement bathing suit bathroom beach beer belly Bert Beth Betty body breasts breath chair champagne flute clean close comes Conner crazy Darla Darlene dead door Doug drink duck dust egg timer Elaine Emily everything eyes face feels finger front giggles gin and tonic hair hands Harold Harry head hear heat honey imagine Irene Jake Kelly kids kitchen laughs legs Lincoln looks Maisey says Maisey thinks Margaret says Mark McGregor Melissa motel mother mouth move mozzarella sticks never Niagara Falls nice Peter pool porch pulls pushes Randy Randy's rice noodles Rosemary thinks Sarah shakes sips sits smell smiles someone stands stares Stephanie says stops suddenly talk tan lines tanning booth Tara tell There's thing touch tries turns Tweezle voice walks watches What's whispers wife Wilbur window wonders