The Circus Performers' Bar

Donalee Moulton-Barrett was a writer and editor in Halifax.

“Do square dancers, when they vote, wonder ‘Will this government be good for square dancing?’ Do they brood on the injustice of a world that fails to take their art with sufficient seriousness? Are there grants or scholarships for young square dancers of brilliant promise?” These are the kinds of questions that David Arnason asks in his collection of witty, irreverent, and charming short stories, The Circus Performers’ Bar.

Arnason takes a sharp and satirical look at contemporary life, especially the role of the modern, liberated male. Superficially they are lighthearted and humorous. Dig deeper, however, and there is a genuine concern for the shallowness of North American life. In “My Baby and Me,” Arnason cleverly and realistically examines new fatherhood — Dad’s responsibilities vis-à-vis baby — and the close relationship that evolves. But what happens when Mom says she’s moving on and is taking baby with her?

Arnason’s solutions to the problems he presents aren’t always the most convenient, legal, or ethical, but they serve to highlight the problem. The few times he fails to make his point are in those stories where he loses his voice to others. For example, in “The Economic Crisis,” Arnason relies on the stereotypical voices of disgruntled, never satisfied workers. You never believe in them, however, and see easily through his tactics so that the ending has no impact. It sounds contrived because it is.

Fortunately, there are very few of those stories in David Arnason’s The Circus Performers’ Bar.