Imitating Art

Cecily M. Barrie is a graduate drama student at Mount St. Vincent
University in Halifax.

This book’s cover illustration and title indicate the quirky humor to
be found within, as Wesseler plays with words and images that reveal
much about the storyteller, a thoughtful woman who constantly attempts
to balance the events in her life with her art, and who amuses herself
by describing the result. The language is unpoetic and the style
seemingly pedestrian, but Wesseler’s assured use of images and
dialogue, as well as her carefully chosen allusions, bespeak her
technical skills.

The short stories are linked thematically, but do not form a linear
narrative. The book reminds one of a television sit-com series, with new
episodes and the same continuing cast of characters. In each story,
relatives and associates from the past and present enrich the portraits
of sisters-in-law Jean and Karen. Canadian regional and national media
programs, personalities, and events figure prominently. Although the
author concludes that only rarely does life imitate art, she leaves the
reader with the unmistakable impression that art is life when she ends
the collection with one final wordplay on the difference between fine
art and real art.