Author(s): Lynn Coady

Fiction

An exhilarating collection of short fiction, "Play the Monster Blind" showcases the remarkably original voice of Lynn Coady, the award-winning author of "Strange Heaven." Funny, poignant and smart, full of unforgettable characters, these stories explore the violence of family, the constraints of small-town life and the elusive promise of escape.
In "Ice Cream Man," an adolescent girl struggles to come to terms with her mother's death and her father's seeming indifference while conducting a secret affair with an older man from the local arena. Gerald, the young boy in "Big Dog Rage," goes to extreme and reckless measures to thwart the expectations of his parents, teachers, and the local priest, leaving his childhood friend to look longingly on. And in the title story, Bethany sees her gentle fiance anew as she enters the raucous world of his hard-drinking family. Receiving a sharp shot to the mouth from her future sister-in-law Bethany finds her place in this clan secured.
With her incisive, resonant prose, Lynn Coady elicits laughter, sadness, and compassion. "Play the Monster Blind" is a keenly observed, imaginative collection from one of the most distinctive talents to arrive on Canada's literary scene in years.