Canary

Description

An ALA 2014 Over the Rainbow Selection An Amazon.ca Best Book of 2013: Top 100/Editors Pick AVancouver SunFavourite Read of 2013Reading Cullen is a little like drinking booze. Definitely not wine, because its not all that genteel, and not beer, because its not all that commonplace, but hard liquor because its edgy, fast-acting, more than a little disorienting and frequently mixed with something sweet.Globe and MailWhat has to die before you force yourself to change? Thats the question facing the always quirky and often-queer characters ofCanary. From the communal showers of a hot yoga studio to seedy pubs on Vancouvers East Side, from Catholic merchandise salesmen to hitchhiking teenage lesbians, the people and places of Nancy Jo Cullens debut are asphyxiating slowly on ordinary life. Yet in this joint-smoking urban underground, we also glimpse the families, communities, friends and strangers from whom unexpected kindness comes as a breath of fresh air. Trashy but poignant, comic and profound,Canaryhangs luminous above the coal-heap of fiction debutsand proves Nancy Jo Cullen a writer of astonishing depths.Praise forCanaryA taken-for-granted sexual transiency is the most strikingly contemporary feature of these stories; if it were written a decade ago the fact that many of the characters are gay, lesbian or bisexual would be seen as a political statement. But inCanarythe sexuality of the characters doesnt define their identity, and is in fact often as transitory and up-for-grabs as every other aspect of their unsettled lives. The quietly radical assumption implicit in the book is that sex isnt a matter of fixed identity but of opportunistic action in story after story Cullen won me over. Their people and situations rang close to life Cullen deserves all the acclaim shes going to receive.Globe and MailCullen writes with tragicomic wisdom about the stuff of life coming of age, sexuality, fertility, death creating down-to-earth characters via straightforward and unadorned prose Canarycombines a plenitude of characters with themes that have universal and enduring appeal. The collection balances a sensitive understanding of the perils and challenges women face with a sympathetic and affectionate take on flawed male characters; theres not a weak story in this bunch. Cullen is a writer to watch.Quill & Quire(starred review)Cullens prose is volcanic even when shes describing the most domestic situations possiblethe language is full of subterranean rumbles that simultaneously disturb and delight. The writing is always surprising, always bright, even in the most somber moments. Moving and funny, these stories will break your heart in the very best way.Suzette Mayr, Giller Prize-shortlisted author ofThe Sleeping Car PorterNancy Jo Cullen mines humanitys beautiful fault-lines. There is not one lousy story in this bunch, but there are plenty of lousy people, all of them gleaming with the shimmer of real. Cullen knows just where to find the funny in tragedy, and how to make words feel like life.Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer, author ofAll the Broken ThingsEvery story in Nancy Jo Cullens debut collection skates along the edge of weirdness. These characters are just a tiny bit off, drawing the reader into their delightful eccentricities Cullen ups the ante on any traditional coming-out story arc and instead drops LGBT characters and references in everyday life, just as theyd always be. A welcome new voice in queer fiction.Lambda LiteraryAt her best, Cullen manages to write about rejuvenation and reconstruction in a way that feels absolutely fresh vibrant and engaging.National PostTheres a wonderful shape-shifting that occurs with humour and Cullen has found that place that is both poignant and profound. Gay and lesbian characters appear in every story, which is such a gift when most fiction writers exclude lesbian, gay and transgender people in their work.Vancouver SunSmall, colourful, and only too quick to take flight.Georgia StraightFresh and non-squeamish humour, present in quirky touches and entire situations, marks Cullens stories This is a great collection, with something of Raymond Carvers understated realismbut with an entirely original voice.Alberta Views MagazineThe people in Nancy Jo Cullens stories are just like you and meraw, complicated, slightly off-kilter in a world that seems to be rushing by a little too quickly. Her charactersworking class, many queerare deep thinking, humorous people who move through with their often tumultuous lives with a kind of imperfect grace.In Conversation with Trevor CorkumCullens stories are full of these unexpected moments of giddy freedom, when the heavy responsibilities of daily life lift, and the characters can take a deep breath and remember who they really are The narrators of these stories are plain-spoken, and while they sometimes over-share the messy details of their lives, they always tell it like it is. The stories collected inCanaryare fresh, immediate and exciting.CultMontrealInCanary, Cullens skills with characterization make her stories pop Cullens debut is a testament to why human relationships remain the best fodder for funny, dead-serious fiction. Her stories are slightly off-kilter, and always bang-on in delivering first-rate characters who show us all the ache in being human and all the wonder of human connection.The Telegraph JournalConsider your most embarrassing moment, suffered because of your family or not. Go on, dredge up that ineradicable instant of humiliation when you were a child, adolescent or young adult, it doesnt matter what happened, when or where. Nancy Jo Cullen has you beat. The denizens ofCanary, her first book of fiction, have soared, crashed, relocated, compromised, given up and started over more often than most of us. This collection is very good there is plenty here to satisfy, the narrative arc running high and long robust, with a wide, compassionate embrace.The Winnipeg ReviewCanaryis the best new Canadian fiction Ive read this year. Pick it up, and pick it up now.Casey the Canadian LesbrarianComic and sad at the same time.Milwaukee Journal Sentinel