Bluffs: Northeastern Ontario Stories from the Edge

David E. Kemp is professor emeritus of drama at Queen’s University.

These two volumes (both edited by Lawrence Steven) both reflect the
distinctiveness of a particular geographical region, but they are very
different in character.

The stories in Bluffs present elements of ghost stories and mysteries,
science fiction, satire, folk tales, black comedy, magic realism, and
meta-fiction. They fool us into thinking that their world is our world
and then frustrate our expectations by showing us that their world is
decidedly not ours, although it might have seemed so originally. There
are lots of delightful surprises in the collection. Melissa Hardy
satirizes the making of folk histories. Richard de Meulles uses the
occasion of a tragic lumberjack romance to write about how fiction gets
made. Mickie McGauley recounts how physical and psychological extremes
can turn small-town familiarity into a carnival sideshow. Sean Costello,
Mark Leslie, and Charlie Smith have ghosts cross the threshold of
consciousness.

The 20 tightly structured stories in Outcrops are more mainstream and
realistic. Tomson Highway, author of The Rez Sisters, and Arman Garnett
Ruffo explore Native aspects of the northern environment. Lola Lemire
Tostevan focuses attention on multiculturalism. Other writers consider
the resource industries so vital to Northeastern Ontario and the
region’s love–hate relationship with Southern Ontario.

The extent to which distinct regions influence the writers who live in
them is a subject of ongoing debate. Geographical setting aside, the
strength of the writing makes both of these collections well worth
reading.