The Nefertiti Look

Julie Rekai Rickerd is a Toronto broadcaster and public relations
consultant.

Alberta-born and raised, Cecelia Frey writes poetry and fiction and is presently business manager of the literary publication Dandelion in Calgary.

In The Nefertiti Look, a collection of ten short stories, Frey exhibits a deep and sensitive understanding of human relationships. Fathers and daughters, mothers and sons are caught up in emotional webs of their own creation. They suffer the slings and arrows of their outrageous fortunes and attempt to rationalize their human condition.

Frey’s elegant, evocative style weaves smoothly and deliberately through the crises of her protagonists. By deftly interchanging the past with the present, she allows her characters to come to terms with their existence. Remembrances of the past help in the acceptance of the stark realities of the present. Frey’s world is inhabited by middle-of-the-road, average people whose circumstances often imbue them with above-average pain and confusion.

The author’s mature and haunting prose is filled with metaphors. The Nefertiti Look is moving and disturbing in the pleasurable way that can result only from extremely well-written and deeply felt literature. Cecelia Frey’s collection of short stories is a superb read and an excellent model for how short stories should be written. A must read!