Hunting with Diana

Ian C. Nelson is assistant director of libraries at the University of
Saskatchewan, and président de la Troupe du Jour, Regina Summer Stage.

David Watmough is a British-born Vancouver author with several novels
and short-story collections to his credit. The narrator of this book of
“connected fictions” is Davey, a writer who cruises the Web while
his lover lies sleeping in the next room. Through Internet e-mail and
chat rooms, Davey connects with a series of people who divulge their
stories with the protective anonymity that used to be the preserve of
seatmates on bus or plane trips. For each faceless encounter, Davey sets
himself the task of getting the other person “to spill what he wanted
[without trespassing] on his space.” The intensely personal and
desperate stories that unfold include allusions to classical Greek
mythology. Jealousy, incest, and a host of “-cides” are revealed in
short takes resembling small screenfuls of typed dialogue and response.
A brief explanation of the classical sources is included at the end of
this intriguing book.