Turtle Drum

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

It is interesting to note that when Carol Anne Wien first started
writing fiction, it was for children. The stories tended to show that
things are not always what they seem, and in them the author
demonstrated a sure understanding of the difference between childlike
and childish. In Turtle Drum, the point of view may be more complex and
the overall concerns more broadly social, but the clarity of thought and
insight that characterized her children’s work is still there.

These stories are mostly about women, and they concern themselves
directly with the complexities and contradictions that exist in
women’s lives. There are stories about coming to terms with love,
about adjusting to the new pressures brought on by marriage, and about
fitting into and relating to one’s own community.

There is an emotional balance in Wien’s work that is both sensitive
and delicate. Conflict is contrasted with reconciliation, self-doubt is
paralleled with reassurance, and anxiety is juxtaposed to peace of mind.
Through her stories, readers are enriched and strengthened.