The Limit of Delta Y Over Delta X

A calculus formula, a calculating boy, a young woman who is intelligent but unwise — the ingredients for a gripping story and the thematic fulcrum for The Limit of Delta Y Over Delta X, a rivetting new collection of stories by Halifax writer Richard Cumyn.

In this idiosyncratic collection of stories, Cumyn explores the surface tension between men and women and those rare moments of insight that often accompany loss. Casting his imagination over the territory extending from adolescence to middle-age, Cumyn finds plenty to contemplate and lots to laugh about as the men and women of his stories brushup against each other, sometimes violently, and often humorously.

AUTHOR

Richard Cumyn

Richard Cumyn was born in Ottawa and has lived in Halifax for many years. He has written a novella, The View from Tamischeira (2003), as well as four short story collections, of which The Obstacle Course (2002) is his most recent. He is also fiction editor of the Antigonish Review.

Reviews

A calculus formula, a calculating boy, a girl who is intelligent but unwise — these are the ingredients of the gripping story at the heart of Richard Cumyn’s new collection. Human relations motivate The Limit of Delta Y Over Delta X, especially the surface tension between men and women.

But even looking at the darker side of humanity, Richard Cumyn finds plenty to laugh about. “The Sound He Made” dares readers to snicker at Bam’s bold violence, and “Shel Do the Right Thang” is a funny fantasia on love and marriage.