One Day It Happens

By (author): Mary Lou Dickinson

One Day It Happens is an eclectic collection of short stories by Mary Lou Dickinson, which deal in myriad forms with communication or lack thereof in the lives of the characters. One of the universal factors in human existence is the need to connect with one another. When these characters fail to do so, it is the result of fear, of loneliness, of violence, of impending death. Sometimes they succeed in spite of everything to reach a place of insight and understanding, usually in unexpected ways and to their own surprise. About some of the stories: Margaret, in “The Empty Chair,” almost 90 and lonely after the death of her husband, has a bizarre sexual encounter with a man living in the same retirement home. In “A Country Weekend,” a visit to the family cottage prompts a terrifying and almost fatal swim across the lake. A writer in “Hello, Angel,” imagines and fears the sexual assault and abduction of a young girl by his next door neighbour. “From the Front” explores the typical day of a telephone crisis counsellor. Eva, in “White Sails on Lake Ontario,” at last takes steps to leave an abusive relationship. In “The Train Ride,” Joe, who rides the train in order to have conversations with people, fails to connect with a fellow passenger. Libby, in “One Day It Happens,” visits a friend whose husband is recovering from a heart attack, making all of them feel vulnerable and close to death in a number of ways.

AUTHOR

Mary Lou Dickinson

Mary Lou Dickinson graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from McGill University and a Master in Library Science from the University of Toronto. One Day It Happens, her book of short stories, was published by Inanna Publications in 2007. Her fiction has been published in the University of Windsor Review, Descant, Waves, Grain, The Fiddlehead, Canadian Woman Studies, Northern Journey, Impulse, Writ and broadcast on cbc Radio. Her writing was also included in the anthology, We Who Can Fly: Poems, Essays and Memories in Honour of Adele Wiseman. Mary Lou Dickinson grew up in northern Quebec and has lived for many years in Toronto.

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One Day It Happens is an eclectic collection of short stories by Mary Lou Dickinson, which deal in myriad forms with communication or lack thereof in the lives of the characters. One of the universal factors in human existence is the need to connect with one another. When these characters fail to do so, it is the result of fear, of loneliness, of violence, of impending death. Sometimes they succeed in spite of everything to reach a place of insight and understanding, usually in unexpected ways and to their own surprise. About some of the stories: Margaret, in “The Empty Chair,” almost 90 and lonely after the death of her husband, has a bizarre sexual encounter with a man living in the same retirement home. In “A Country Weekend,” a visit to the family cottage prompts a terrifying and almost fatal swim across the lake. A writer in “Hello, Angel,” imagines and fears the sexual assault and abduction of a young girl by his next door neighbour. “From the Front” explores the typical day of a telephone crisis counsellor. Eva, in “White Sails on Lake Ontario,” at last takes steps to leave an abusive relationship. In “The Train Ride,” Joe, who rides the train in order to have conversations with people, fails to connect with a fellow passenger. Libby, in “One Day It Happens,” visits a friend whose husband is recovering from a heart attack, making all of them feel vulnerable and close to death in a number of ways.

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Details

Dimensions:

185 Pages
5.5in * 8.25in * 1in
0.75lb

Published:

April 30, 2007

Country of Publication:

CA

ISBN:

9780978223328

Book Subjects:

FICTION / Short Stories

Featured In:

All Books

Language:

eng

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