Waterborne

Lynne Perras teaches communication arts at the University of Calgary.

Waterborne explores the deep connections, bad and good, that span three
generations. Stella Goulding, a writer, has returned to her native
Newfoundland to attend her father’s funeral. During the visit, she
recalls her childhood and adolescence, especially the callous and cruel
treatment she suffered at the hands of Minerva, her hard, unloving
mother. The repercussions of Stella’s early days are great: she has
become a bulimic cross-dresser who is unable to connect emotionally with
others.

The reader is also presented Minerva’s version of events. The fact
that Minerva herself had a lonely childhood and was forced into a
loveless marriage helps to explain, at least in part, her animosity
toward Stella. The voice of Minerva’s mother is added to the mix from
time to time, underscoring the author’s message that dysfunction can
span generations.

Soper-Cook’s previous books include the imaginative Waking the
Messiah and The Wide World Dreaming. Disturbing, compelling, and rich in
imagery, Waterborne is her best effort to date.