Viking Brides

Britta Santowski is a freelance writer in Victoria.

These 10 remarkably well-written short stories are densely layered, and
in them, the author frequently meanders through territory that polite
company would rather ignore. “Hodzik’s of Hollywood,” for
instance, features a family-owned and -operated lingerie shop, a notion
that becomes particularly unsettling when the daughter is used to model
the fine lingerie for the small-town flyers. “To Esker Bay for Viking
Brides” intertwines death and decay with primal lust. “Drainage”
mixes a student’s suicide with the suggestion of school-sanctioned
prejudice.

Cumyn’s stories have a very distinct style, usually beginning with
characters appearing as they are in a specific moment. In this moment,
there is no peripheral information, no context, creating the impression
of entering a conversation, one you are required to understand,
mid-sentence. Yet, through careful observation and continually
referencing the starting point, one inevitably finds oneself not just
caught up in, but also deeply entrenched with, each story.

Cumyn seamlessly transitions through time, shamelessly exposing the
underbelly of his cast of characters, and effectively painting a
multidimensional picture. Intrigue, suspense, and voyeuristic horror
keep the reader engaged. Viking Brides is a collection that commands the
reader’s attention and participation.