Summer Reading

Susan Manningham teaches sociology at Queen’s University in Kingston.

The nine stories in this collection are like patches of real life,
wholly and perfectly formed. As each patch is pieced to the next, much
like the quilt in the first story, “Piecing the Quilt,” the pattern
becomes more clearly Sutherland’s own.

Sutherland’s narrative voice is clear, uncluttered, and confident as
she explores the infinite variations of the eternal male-female
dichotomy. The focus is on women and girls, making their way down the
tortuous path of self-realization and finding strength in unexpected
places. Bea, the young girl on holiday in “Open Spaces,” is homesick
in England and in danger of disappearing in front of her parents’
eyes; she comes across Van Gogh’s Bedroom at Arles while touring a
museum. Contemplating its plain and practical simplicity, she is
restored to life, reassured now of her return to home and friends.
Sutherland’s stories echo the sturdy simplicity of Van Gogh’s work
by speaking directly to the challenges of living a life in the late 20th
century.