Mothers, Tell Your Daughters

Mothers, Tell Your Daughters

Adult short stories
Some writers have the ability to introduce us to people we might
avoid or overlook in daily life, people who take us way out of our
comfort zones or maybe question some of the assumptions it can be easy
to presume everyone makes. Stephen King and Carolyn Chute are Mainers
who are masters of this genre. I recently discovered Bonnie Jo
Campbell to be a literary kindred spirit.
Campbell's Mothers, Tell Your Daughters is a collection of short
stories that introduces the reader to some intriguing (although, in
many cases, deeply troubling) women who cope their best with the
challenges life throws them. You'll meet:
*a mother who suspects every adult male who her young daughter knows
of impure desires because of the people in trusted positions who took
advantage of her when she was young;
*a candy seller in a travelling circus debating over whether to have
yet another abortion or to try to settle down with the colleague who
made her pregnant;
*a woman who believes that her far-from-faithful ex fiancée has become
reincarnated in the form of the stray dog she adopted;
*an adjunct professor who learns that she is unexpectedly pregnant at
the same time that her youngest daughter is...
Although there is much that is stark and dark in these stories,
there are also life affirming and downright funny elements. Reading
Mothers, Tell Your Daughters is like riding a literary roller coaster,
the kind that will have you getting right back in line for another
ride after you take a moment to catch your breath. If you take a real
fancy to this genre, check out Carolyn Chute's novels.
On a personal note, this week I had fun participating in a UMaine
blood drive. Tuesday I donated. Wednesday I volunteered. I did a
shift working canteen. What I had to do was give donors food and
drink and talk to them to make sure they didn't faint. Piece of cake.
Great big shout outs go out to all who participated in the blood drive
and to my friend, Elaine Bard, who is directing The Evil Dead this
weekend and her cast and crew. Should be quite the theatrical
production!
Julia Emily Hathaway


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