A Heart in Port.

Kim Fahner is a poet and the author of You Must Imagine the Cold Here.

This collection of short stories, titled after a line of Dickinson’s poetry, unveils itself in a truly artful manner. Givner weaves the stories together in a mesh of sorts, a palimpsest of people and places, so that there are subtle echoes throughout the book. A line in “In-Sook,” for instance, finds its mirroring in “Polonaise.” There have been other writers, obviously, who have linked stories with a main character, but Givner is adept at actually using specific lines that echo clearly throughout the stories, so that the reader is soon hyper-aware, almost, of what is being written. Not only that, but one finds oneself thinking more reflexively, so that it is not only what is being written, but how it is being conveyed, and why, that is considered over and over again. Interestingly, this awareness of the author’s stylistic mannerisms does not take away from the strong plot, character, and wit that is central to the book.

What is most poignant is that Givner died of an allergic reaction at the age of 38. Much too young, especially given the scope and great artistry of her prose. Who knows what she might have accomplished if she’d lived longer? What we do know, though, is that this grouping of stories, finished and unfinished (as the last one is), is quite a gift.

There are autobiographical aspects that seem obvious. The protagonist in “The Resemblance Between a Violin Case and a Cockroach,” for instance, is a little girl who dies when she suffers a particularly violent asthma attack. In “A Heart in Port,” there is a protagonist who suffers from severe lung disease. Other characters, throughout the range of stories, live and love fully, but death and the sometimes grim realities of life are also present.

Givner’s collection is a strong grouping of tales. It is obvious that she must have read widely in scope, as well as been very aware of the worlds of visual art and music. All good writers must venture through various artistic worlds, and it seems that Givner did this. It is a great shame that she is now lost to us, but this book is a strong testament to her worth as a writer.