The Hour of Bad Decisions

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This first short fiction collection by a prominent Canadian journalist paints vivid word pictures of the world and these canvasses superimposes people in all their human imperfections. Russell Wangersky's characters, caught in a variety of human circumstances, make some outstandingly bad decisions. A labourer enjoys new-found popularity among his co-workers after losing several fingers in a work accident. So, in the face of returning invisibility, he makes a desperate decision. An elderly shut-in chooses to believe the lies of her own life and the world view she absorbs from talk radio and finds the scapegoats that both those distortions of reality require. A man on an ill-conceived vacation decides to stay in a hot tub all day and all night, rather than face his disintegrating family. In these stories, some people seem to escape the consequences of their bad decisions, some people wind up being redeemed, and some are left to fates the reader can only imagine. As a backdrop, often a counterpoint, to these very human struggles, Wangersky paints the most exquisite canvasses with his words. Whether it be landscape or seascape of his long-time home in Newfoundland, startling weather, fine woodworking, or the workings of a factory, he presents us with note-perfect descriptions of the often-stunning world in which we imperfect humans live. Wangersky reminds us, even bad decisions can be cause for celebration, of what it means to be human.From BooklistThe images in this debut collection of short stories are such that one can only wonder at the creative imagination of the writer, marveling at his ability to find the perfect metaphor to describe an atmosphere, a setting, or a character. The stories are about individuals, many separated, several unhappy, perhaps living marginal lives. How does a writer dwell on the loneliness, the separateness of people, without pushing the reader away in despair? Through his art, and Wangersky succeeds in doing exactly that. These stories provide glimpses into the psyches of people whose lives have turned in unexpected directions. Reading this collection means gaining insight into personalities; it means seeing new geographies, primarily in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. It means being bathed in adept images, at times beautiful, at times horrifying, but ultimately satisfying. A particularly memorable story is "No Apologies for Weather," in which the occasional rages of a beloved wife are seen as violent northeasters, which one eventually learns how to weather. The stories do not often have a resolution, but then, oftentimes, neither do lives. Maureen O'ConnorCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reservedFrom the PublisherRussell Wangursky’s characters, caught in a variety of human circumstances, make some outstandingly bad decisions. A labourer enjoys new-found popularity among his co-workers after losing several fingers in a work accident. So, in the face of returning invisibility, he makes a desperate decision. An elderly shut-in chooses to believe the lies of her own life and the world view she absorbs from talk radio. And finds the scapegoats that both those distortions of reality require. A man on an ill-conceived vacation decides to stay in a hot tub all day and all night, rather than face his disintegrating family. In these stories, some people seem to escape the consequences of their bad decisions, some people wind up being redeemed, and some are left to fates the reader can only imagine. As a backdrop, often a counterpoint, to these very human struggles, Wangursky paints the most exquisite canvasses with his words. Whether it be landscape or seascape of his native Newfoundland, startling weather, fine woodworking, or the workings of a factory, he presents us with note-perfect descriptions of the often-stunning world in which we imperfect humans live. That we are capable of doing more than acting instinctually, of making decisions, marks us as human among the living creatures of this world. Thus, Wangursky reminds us, even bad decisions can be cause for celebration, of what it means to be human.