And My Name Is…: Stories from the Quilt

Linda M. Bayley is a freelance writer based in Sudbury, Ontario. She is
the author of Estrangement: Poems.

Margie Carmichael’s debut collection is an eclectic mix of short
stories and poems featuring strong women struggling through their lives,
with settings ranging from Ireland to Afghanistan to Prince Edward
Island. The stories and poems are intertwined throughout the book, so
that each story is introduced by a poem that, although it is not about
the same topic as the story, comments on and informs the story in some
way.

The subject matter and structure of the book both seem to be promising;
unfortunately, Carmichael does not quite deliver on this promise. She
starts out strong with “Anna,” in which an old Native woman tells
her life’s story to her left foot; this story is astounding for its
voice, its rich detail, and its depth and intensity of emotion. However,
other stories, such as “Mom and Tessie” and “Irina,” fall flat.
Here, Carmichael resorts to telling the stories rather than showing
them, denying the reader the immediacy and emotional connection that
dramatized scenes would have provided. Many of the poems lack emotional
impact as well; they tend to be constructed more like greeting-card
verse than the stuff of literary magazines.

Despite all of this, Margie Carmichael obviously has a wealth of ideas
and experience to share, and this reviewer looks forward to seeing what
she offers up next.