The Immaculate Conception Photography Gallery

Susan Manningham teaches sociology at Queen’s University in Kingston.

Magic infuses these wonderful stories. Motherhood, too, whether
metaphorical or otherwise, weaves them together in a stylishly written
collection whose title story was a prize winner in the CBC Literary
Contest.

In “The Damaged Heart,” a heart-transplant recipient finds himself
in communication with the heart’s 17-year-old former owner, and organ
memory takes on a whole new meaning. In “Aliens,” what appears to be
a UFO lands among the islands of Georgian Bay while women occupy family
cottages. In “The Picnic,” an overwrought father in a speedboat on
the Niagara River takes his wife and children to the brink. All reflect
a close focus on daily life, which ultimately transcends the minutiae.
Govier has once again proven herself to be a passionate and ironic
observer of humanity.