Told Ya! |
Told Ya! Stories - This fascinating collection of stories are about the interactions of immigrants from the Caribbean with life in Canada.They are about things that surprise or confuse the author Peta Gaye-Nash. She explains; "It is how each of us sees life through the peculiar lens of our own experiences and environment, so that when we come together, our behaviours and motivations reflect the uniqueness of who we are - our gender, socio-economic background, culture, religious beliefs and so on."
Swinging seamlessly between the slapstick and tragic in each life, these stories traverse the serendipitous circumstances of poverty that govern the harsh landscape of "paradise".
Reviews
“Nash’s collection of short stories explores the complications of contemporary society. Three generations of women navigate class differences after a pointed comment is left on a Facebook photo (“Mull it Over”). A poet confronts death and the human condition after committing a hit-and-run accident (“Serious Poetry”).These are the opening stories in this collection of tales spanning the Caribbean to Canada, reflecting everyday life to both comic and tragic effect while asking questions about relationships, community, identity, and gender. The collection has a rhythmic pace and concordant set of narratives. (The second half of the collection follows a group of five men, all of whom are loosely connected.) The final story of the collection (“You cute, eeh?”) is perhaps the most hard-hitting; it follows the wealthy head of a Jamaican construction company, Matthew Howard, who finds himself compelled to help a young woman named Claudine Thomas who hails from a disadvantaged neighborhood. This story exemplifies a frequent theme in Nash’s work: breaking cycles of toxic masculinity and violence against women. The third piece in the collection, “Paradise,” tells the story of Kira Chin, who is assaulted by Geoffrey Scott, the manager of the hotel where she works. In a short space, the author economically conveys the trouble Kira must go to in order to be believed as well as the mixed feelings she has about leaving her home of Jamaica to immigrate to Canada: “Paradise was one of the most beautiful places on earth, yet there was much ugliness lurking behind the idyllic façade.” Elements of the stories can be jarring or entertaining; they’re never boring. Nash is a gifted storyteller who compresses complex narratives into vignettes that leave the reader wanting more. A character-driven set of tales for audiences fascinated by culture and human nature.” — Kirkus Reviews
