by I just finished Lac Du Mort and Other Stories by Joanne Van Leerdam. I see that she is also a poet and that is not surprising. It’s often a special treat as it was, in this case, to read short stories, or even longer works, by authors who are poets or who also write poetry as their ear is fine-tuned to the nuances of words and the effects their echoes may have within us. Such is the case in Ms. Leerdam’s stories. I especially noted the skill she displayed in knowing just how gentle the touch of terror needed to be at the end of each story in relation to its length. And in each case she stopped at just the right moment leaving me suddenly breathless, shivering in wonder and delight and quickly turning the page to the next tale that I might be seduced again.
I think this is a book you may want to have in paperback so that you can come back to it and read it at different ages or in different seasons as you may discover facets you overlooked on the first reading or techniques you didn’t appreciate the first time. Maybe a good book to discuss with friends.