The Journey Prize Stories, 19.

R. Gordon Moyles is professor emeritus of English at the University of
Alberta, co-author of Imperial Dreams and Colonial Realities: British
Views of Canada, 1880–1914, and author of The Salvation Army and the
Public.

Though one might be put off by the arrogant claim that these 11 short stories represent the “best” of Canada’s new writers, or even by the rather inconsequential comments by the three editors, the stories chosen as the finalists for the prestigious Journey Prize are indeed worthy of the distinction. Making the choice of a winner (in this case, Craig Boyko) a very difficult one is the fact that not only do all these writers exhibit vast creative genius but they are also masters of style: the variety—from internal reflection to gentle irony—and the distinctive tones contribute to reading experiences that are aesthetic as well as experiential. It might be unfair to point out favourites, and the winner must speak for itself, but I was very much taken with Nicholas Ruddick’s “How Eunice Got Her Baby.” In a story that is ultimately tragic —for “there’s not too many good ways you can inherit a baby,” says Eunice— there is a clever hint of amusement at the fates which create the unusual events. Ruddick is a writer to watch for. Also very impressive, and happily very different, were Rebecca Rosenblum’s “Chilly Girl” (with its brilliant ending), Alice Petersen’s reflective vignette “After Summer,” and Grant Buday’s symbolic treatment of family relations in “The Curve of the Earth.” These, however, are just personal favourites: all are well worth reading, and certainly make us look forward to full-length novels from many of these writers.