Writings / Reviews: Janet Nicol

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The Jesus Year,
by Jani Krulc
London, ON: Insomniac, 2013
144 pages, $19.95

Prepare to be quickly immersed as you read seven short stories by Calgary-based author, Jani Krulc. “The Jesus Year,” after which the collection is entitled, features 32-year-old Erica and covers a painful year in her life. Each brief and precisely worded scene provides clues to the story’s finale—Erica’s 33rd birthday dinner party. During Erica’s past year, her brother has died in an accident. The ensuing emotional disconnect Erica experiences with her spouse and friends widens, its destructive effect finally surfacing at her birthday dinner.

The collection’s central characters are typically young women navigating relationships, early marriage and family dynamics. Actions, not words, provide insights in to these protagonists’ emotional world, demanding the reader stay mindful of telling details. Sheila of “A Guide to Decorating” is dealing with her aging parents, for instance, and though her husband Hank is physically by her side, she dwells alone in the dark shadow of grief. Distractions—such as home decorating—provide respite but still can’t push back the darkness.

The reader will proceed with caution if holidaying on Canada’s “wild” Pacific coast after reading “The Evaluators.” Olivia and Henry are innocent travellers to Tofino on Vancouver Island’s isolated west coast for a romantic getaway. Yet another plot climax in this collection sneaks up on the reader..

Marcella is prepared to leave home and marry though still in her teens, as she deals with recurring anorexia in “Familia.” It’s a story line where the heroine’s feelings are central to whether she will live—or die. Flashbacks to Marcella’s childhood and a game-changing scene with her fiancé culminate in an ambiguous ending, providing a dash of hope.

“I didn’t have time to change,” Pastor Mike explains about his attire to Maya and Finn as they visit his rural church in Alberta to plan their wedding. In this story, “Going to Market,” the author sets the scene with a description of the Pastor: “He wore jeans ripped at the left thigh, black staining both knees.” The Pastor further explains: “It’s harvest” and Maya answers, “Oh, we love the market.” Therein lies the story’s tension—the gritty life of a rural man in contrast to Maya and her husband’s convenient—and thus naive— urban experiences.

The writing of all these stories is sharp and sparse and the author’s imagined worlds ultimately unsettling. Krulc provides the reader with glimpses of small shimmering truths through seemingly ordinary episodes experienced by ‘every day’ women.

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