An Affairytale: A Love Story in Rhyme

Mark Bastien was a Toronto-based journalist.

The title of this curious little book provides the reader with everything he needs to know about the story. It is an affairytale (how clever!) and it is a love story in rhyme. The author has wisely withheld his or her name.

Briefly, the story is told in more than 150 quatrains rhymed ABAB of the following quality: “He asked if dinner at eight was okay /My answer was, “That’s great” /I never thought I’d see the day /I’d court somebody’s mate.” The story is roughly this: Married man meets single girl. She resists. Then doesn’t. They date. They love. They share. On the sly. For years. Single girl breaks it off. Married man is miserable. Single girl is miserable. Married man leaves wife and kids for single girl. Hurrah.

But the story doesn’t end there. Here’s the kicker: single girl walks out on married man because she knows said man will cheat on her eventually. What? And spawn another affairytale?

The witty illustrations are by Marie Gilbert, who lends class to this otherwise maudlin enterprise.