In the Misleading Absence of Light

Marcia Sweet, former editor of the Queen’s Quarterly, is an
information consultant and freelance editor.

One is initially entranced by the lyrical quality of the writing in this
collection of 12 short stories. But after a while it becomes clear that
much of the language is merely decorative. “Feathered bodies, a
glistening, quivering flange” (from “Crossing the Piazza”) sounds
great, but what does it mean? The misuse of such words as
“dissemble,” “virulent,” and “bromide” further shakes the
reader’s confidence in the storytelling.

The best stories are those that are straightforward and uncluttered.
“The Lesser, The Larger,” whose protagonist is a woman who knows she
is going to die, is a subtle and perfectly paced tale that makes
imaginative use of metaphor. The author’s psychological acuity is also
on display in “Nights at the Lucky Moon,” “Black Lancaster,” and
“Glass Marbles. The several “Mike” stories are the least
successful, particularly with respect to their unsympathetic
stereotyping of the Catholic religion.