What Can Be Changed Shouldnt Be Mourned

In the tradition of GOD IS NOT A FISH INSPECTOR and BLOODFLOWERS, this is another excellent collection. I discovered Mr. Valgardson's work years ago while doing grad studies in Canada, and would have to directly contact his Canadian publisher so that I could get copies of his work delivered to me south of the border. While these are effective and captivating stories, as I am used to, they do seem to also represent a maturing of the author - some of the pieces are more personal, and have a different kind of passion, more focused and sage-ful. There was only one story that seemed a little tossed off, regarding a man of colour being mistaken for a threat by a police officer... IDENTITIES. Not a poor story, and admittedly very well-crafted, but IMHO not of the story-telling calibre of the rest. Plenty of other stories with memorable images, and telling insights. The author really takes a chance with his protagonists, not afraid to have them be less than 100% sympathetic. In particular, I thought WRINKLES and THE CAVE were powerful, leaving long-lasting impressions. And the author also ventures beyond the shores of Canada to Iceland, which is a very interesting development in his writing. I usually prefer to savor his stories only one or two at a time with some nice coffee, allowing me to stretch the collection out for over a week. If you haven't read any of Mr. Valgardson's short stories before, I'd recommend reading one of his earlier collections, as I think you'd then appreciate this collection more. Take a break from full-length novels, and try W.D. Valgardson's short stories.