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A review by saareman
Ferry Back the Gifts by Kate Story
5.0
Roadtrips, Ferries and Journeys
Review of the Exile Editions paperback edition (November 26, 2022)
[4.2 average on the stories, rounded up to 5]
I've been enjoying Kate Story's theatre & fiction and her dance and theatrical performances at Peterborough, Canada's The Theatre on King for the past several years. I discovered that she was also one of the performers in my friend [a:Hillar Liitoja|964432|Hillar Liitoja|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]'s avant-garde DNA Theatre in Toronto many years ago and after meeting at Hillar's memorial we had a good laugh about those times. This wonderful story collection displays many of Story's themes of speculative fiction, queer identities, magical realism, and Newfoundland heritage.
Kate Story (2nd from right) and others perform the "Tea Cup Dance" at the conclusion of the Celebration of Life for Hillar Liitoja at the Theatre Centre in Toronto on September 16, 2023. Image source: own photograph.
The following provides story setups only, so hopefully won’t be considered spoilers.
1. Anniversary **** A long-distance truck driver reminisces about a love affair on the anniversary of the lover’s death.
2. Animate *** A divorced woman takes a man haunted by a fatal accident in his past on a road trip from St. Johns to Gros Morne where they explore the National Park. The story takes place in a future world which has been devastated by earthquakes and flooding.
3. Flame Retarded **** A woman remembers her childhood friendship with a girl named Lois and the Hallowe’en night when they encountered a flasher.
4. Where the Seas Roll Up Their Thunder ***** An older woman tells the story of the so-called Bell Island Boom on April 2, 1978 to a school kid who is researching it for a school project.
5. Demoted **** A man makes a bet on a hitchhiking race to New York from Boston but encounters various supernatural entities on the way.
6. Show and Tell **** A woman attends a fundraiser event at their old elementary school and reminisces about being bullied in their youth.
7. Martinis, My Dear, Are Dangerous ***** A paraplegic learns to scuba dive and wants to go cave diving in the abandoned mines on Bell Island. They also hallucinate about mermaids. The story title refers to a comparison between deep diving and the effects of martini drinking and also links to an article about Dorothy Parker’s attributed quatrain: I like to have a martini….
8. Unicorn ***** Written as if it was a non-fiction report on the history of unicorns as real creatures being hunted to extinction. There is an implied sexual tie-in about the bonding of the creatures with human female virgins.
9. Ferry Back the Gifts ***** A Newfoundland witch finds her mother’s recipe cards containing spells.
10. The Ghost of the Cherry Blossom *** Two friends exchange stories about losing their virginity in their youth. One of them met a ghost at the hotel where it happened.
I read Ferry Back the Gifts thanks to a gift from my friend Karan
Review of the Exile Editions paperback edition (November 26, 2022)
[4.2 average on the stories, rounded up to 5]
I've been enjoying Kate Story's theatre & fiction and her dance and theatrical performances at Peterborough, Canada's The Theatre on King for the past several years. I discovered that she was also one of the performers in my friend [a:Hillar Liitoja|964432|Hillar Liitoja|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]'s avant-garde DNA Theatre in Toronto many years ago and after meeting at Hillar's memorial we had a good laugh about those times. This wonderful story collection displays many of Story's themes of speculative fiction, queer identities, magical realism, and Newfoundland heritage.
Kate Story (2nd from right) and others perform the "Tea Cup Dance" at the conclusion of the Celebration of Life for Hillar Liitoja at the Theatre Centre in Toronto on September 16, 2023. Image source: own photograph.
The following provides story setups only, so hopefully won’t be considered spoilers.
1. Anniversary **** A long-distance truck driver reminisces about a love affair on the anniversary of the lover’s death.
2. Animate *** A divorced woman takes a man haunted by a fatal accident in his past on a road trip from St. Johns to Gros Morne where they explore the National Park. The story takes place in a future world which has been devastated by earthquakes and flooding.
3. Flame Retarded **** A woman remembers her childhood friendship with a girl named Lois and the Hallowe’en night when they encountered a flasher.
4. Where the Seas Roll Up Their Thunder ***** An older woman tells the story of the so-called Bell Island Boom on April 2, 1978 to a school kid who is researching it for a school project.
5. Demoted **** A man makes a bet on a hitchhiking race to New York from Boston but encounters various supernatural entities on the way.
6. Show and Tell **** A woman attends a fundraiser event at their old elementary school and reminisces about being bullied in their youth.
7. Martinis, My Dear, Are Dangerous ***** A paraplegic learns to scuba dive and wants to go cave diving in the abandoned mines on Bell Island. They also hallucinate about mermaids. The story title refers to a comparison between deep diving and the effects of martini drinking and also links to an article about Dorothy Parker’s attributed quatrain: I like to have a martini….
8. Unicorn ***** Written as if it was a non-fiction report on the history of unicorns as real creatures being hunted to extinction. There is an implied sexual tie-in about the bonding of the creatures with human female virgins.
9. Ferry Back the Gifts ***** A Newfoundland witch finds her mother’s recipe cards containing spells.
10. The Ghost of the Cherry Blossom *** Two friends exchange stories about losing their virginity in their youth. One of them met a ghost at the hotel where it happened.
I read Ferry Back the Gifts thanks to a gift from my friend Karan