Betty Lee Bonner Lives There

Louise E. Allin, a poet and short-story writer, is also an English instructor at Cambrian College.

These polished stories, all which have been previously published in
journals or in anthologies, focus on human relationships. The author
frames them with a laugh, a tear, or a gasp, but always with total
honesty. Her characters enact scenes from youthful romance, to the
realities of marriage, to the delicate tragedy of old age. Beyond all
other talents, however, Simmie is a marvelous storyteller.

In “Sweetie Pie,” a dominating man encounters problems with his
parrot and his woman on a long car trip. Brandon, Manitoba, during World
War II is the setting for “Betty Lee Bonner,” but the family
difficulties depicted in the story have no boundaries in time or place.
A contemporary setting presents squabbling parents and children in
“Monsieur Dressup est Mort.” Though Simmie can let her characters
laugh at their own foibles, she can also turn her hand to poignancy and
tragedy—as she does in “Sunflowers” and “The Swing,” which
consider spousal abuse and senile dementia. There are no false moments.
This collection is a passport to the best secrets of the human heart.