Hard Light (Michael Crummey)

The Fetish (Alberto Moravia)

The Fetish is the forth work I've read by Alberto Moravia, but it's the first collection of short stories. Unfortunately, I wasn't impressed. The stories in The Fetish aren't bad, but they didn't particularly blow me away. Moravia's short stories are like shorter, less developed version of his novels.

His novels, like The Empty Canvas and Two, are so good because he has space to develop his characters and his ideas. In his short stories, we get only a hint of an idea. Yes, all the stories end with kickers that reveal something about the characters, but compared to his novels, they lack a wow factor.

I will, however, point out two of my favourite stories in this collection: "Appointment at the Beach," and "The Misanthrope."

"Appointment at the Beach" features a young married couple who arrive on the shore to spend a day together. Almost immediately, they see a group of locals gathered around a body that's been found. The husband wonders at his wife's sudden sadness. He encourages her to have fun and forget about the dead man, but she refuses and lashes out at him. A twist at the end reveals a kicker. She knows the mysterious dead man on the beach. She had planned to meet him there.

"The Misanthrope" features a young man who goes driving with an acquaintance and two young women. He's judgmental of and can't stand any of his companions, but eventually realizes that it's not their fault, but rather his.

Klee Wyck (Emily Carr)

Aliens In the Prime of Their Lives (Brad Watson)

I love a good collection of short stories, which is why I couldn't say no to picking up Aliens in the Prime of Their Lives for $1 plus tax at a dollar store when I was down in the States a few days ago. I sat down and read it Friday evening.

Brad Watson's collection opens with "Vacuum," the story of two little boys who are afraid that their mother will really do what she's threatened to:"walk out the door and never come back." In a quest to make their mother happier, they seek the help of a maid and a doctor, but wind up insulting the maid and leading the doctor to get the wrong impression about the kind of help their mother requires. I found myself both cringing and laughing as I read "Vacuum."

"Terrible Argument," the fifth story in Watson's collection, portrays the strained relationship between a husband and wife, as well as the effect their arguing has on the family dog. Tension escalates when a gun is brought into the house. The ending made me sad because the emotional tragedies in this story were the result of clashing personalities and a lack of restraint.

The final story--there are twelve in all--is the collection's namesake, "Aliens in the Prime of Their Lives." In the 1960s two young people, upon realizing a baby in on the way, elope and set up house in a cramped apartment. A mysterious couple appears, asking to take a role in the child's life. The catch? They seem to be aliens. Whether they are or aren't is difficult to tell. Regardless, this story tugged at my heart with its doomed romance.