Life Without Death
By Peter Unwin
In Life Without Death, the latest short story collection from Peter Unwin, ordinary men and women search for meaning in lives subject to change, chance, coincidence, and catastrophe.
A man recalls a lifetime of love and loss while copying contacts out of his old little black ... Read more
Overview
In Life Without Death, the latest short story collection from Peter Unwin, ordinary men and women search for meaning in lives subject to change, chance, coincidence, and catastrophe.
A man recalls a lifetime of love and loss while copying contacts out of his old little black book. A woman is left her dying father's secret stash of pornography, and is entrusted with the unenviable task of disposing of it. A new father unexpectedly discovers a way of connecting to his autistic son. For one day, guests to a wedding set aside their various past misdeeds in order to celebrate a young couple's union. A teenager newly introduced to a life of petty crime suddenly finds himself in way over his head. A man's former acquaintance resurfaces decades later as the subject of a haunting art film.
Unwin's characters live full, complex lives within each story. Though they may not find the simple answers they seek, if such answers even exist, they-and readers-gain something farmore valuable on their journeys: perspective.
Peter Unwin
Peter Unwin is the author of eight previous books, including his latest novel Searching for Petronius Totem, as well as many short stories, essays and poems. His 2014 story collection Life Without Death was shortlisted for the 2014 Trillium Book Award, and his poetry collection When We Were Old, was a Relit Award finalist. He is currently completing a PhD in the Humanities at York University.
Reviews
“[Refuses] to explain things in a blandly expository manner … the essential loneliness and alienation of the characters is exposed and, in very rare instances, transcended. ”