Black Tulips

Virginia Gillham is university librarian at Wilfrid Laurier University.

Each short story in this collection is focused on a small but defining
moment of human interaction. The setting for all of the stories is
Montreal in the 1980s and 1990s. The characters are largely
upper-middle-class, educated individuals. Their lives are troubled.
Their relationships, described by inference through the details of the
situation, are distinctly imperfect.

Beyond her ability to create highly readable prose, Claire Rothman is
clearly a perceptive observer of humanity, human nature, and society.
Her slice-of-life vignettes are all implied analyses of the human
experience. Black Tulips is, in short, a rewarding read that will
continue to occupy the thoughts of the reader long after the cover has
been closed.