Sightlines

Britta Santowski is a freelance writer in Victoria, B.C.

This debut collection of 13 short stories introduces the reader to Flat
Hill, Saskatchewan, population 523. In an exposé about a few of its
residents, Leona Theis skilfully weaves an overlapping web of tales that
span a period of about 30 years. Colorful characters include pyromaniac
Kate, whose own house is later burned; footless Pete, nicknamed
“Grumpy” by the locals; Pete’s destined-to-be-independent and
perpetually single daughter, Evelyn; terminal cancer patient Elsa; and a
senior couple whose marriage is so fragmented that even the shared
trauma of robbery cannot reconcile it.

Theis’s versatility as a writer is best demonstrated when her stories
switch perspectives. By telling stories that share characters and
situations, she reveals the multiplicity of impressions. For instance,
we get two separate images of Mellie. In “Air Masses,” her adult
self relives a passing tornado from her youth. In “Rhinestones,”
Mellie as a child is the rebellious friend of Linda, who is not allowed
to mingle with the Mellie “types” in the community. Evelyn is
another character who has several appearances. Her adolescence in Flat
Hill is portrayed in “Hard Frost,” where she is stuck with caring
for her failed and footless father. We hear of her again in a related
story, “Wheels,” a telling of life from Pete’s perspective, which
reveals a dim glimmer of hope that is buried deep in his own routine of
sorrow. “Marking Time” introduces the storms of Stephen’s
adolescence, and in “Edges” we learn more about Stephen’s fate
from his sister, Frances, who as an adult begins to explore the outer
boundaries of her own life.

The stories in Sightlines begin by showing the surface of simple and
idyllic country living and then slowly peel back the layers, exposing a
rougher and ever-changing underside. In this work, Leona Theis offers
the reader elaborate detail while still capturing the raw simplicity of
day-to-day life.