My Nose Is a Gherkin Pickle Gone Wrong

Marcia Sweet, formerly head of the Douglas Library’s
Information/Reference Unit at Queen’s University and editor of the
Queen’s Quarterly, is currently an information consultant and
freelance editor.

The stories in this eclectic collection are united by a strongly
reflective narrative viewpoint, a preoccupation with memory, and a sense
of loss. In “Mammo Gram,” we encounter a poignant description of
where the protagonist’s breasts had “been” and what they had
“done.” In an artful blending of reality and imagination, “The
Avian Eye” links the visit of a piano tuner and his pet crow with the
departure of the narrator’s husband. The mother-daughter interactions
in “The Terrible Horrible Face-Washer Woman” evolve into powerful
recollections of youth and early motherhood. The details recalled by
memory in the title story are evocative, and we all remember “Girl
Guide Cookies in April.”

All 16 stories use language that is sophisticated and pleasing (“My
belly curves like the groove in the saltlick”), and rich and original
(“the blue of his eye too blue, like turquoise spangles on a midway
dancer’s costume”). The relationships of the characters, especially
those between mothers and daughters, are well depicted. The book is not
strong on creating a sense of physical place, but many women readers
will nevertheless recognize the territory.