Home is where we love, suffer, and learn. Some homes we chose, others are inflicted upon us, and still others are bodies we are born into. In this astounding collection of stories, human and more-than-human worlds come together in places we call home.
Four sisters and their mother explore their fears while teeny ghost people dress up in fragments of their children’s clothes. A somewhat-ghost tends the family garden. Deep in the mountains, a shapeshifting mother must sift through her ancestors’ gifts and the complexities of love when one boy is born with a beautiful set of fox ears and another is not. In the wake of her elderly mother’s tragic death, a daughter tries to make sense of the online dating profile she left behind. And a man named Pooka finds new ways to weave new stories into his abode, in spite of his inherited suffering.
A startling and beguiling story collection, Glorious Frazzled Beings is a love song to the homes we make, keep, and break.
Home is where we love, suffer, and learn. Some homes we chose, others are inflicted upon us, and still others are bodies we are born into. In this astounding collection of stories, human and more-than-human worlds come together in places we call home.
Four sisters and their mother explore their fears while teeny ghost people dress up in fragments of their children’s clothes. A somewhat-ghost tends the family garden. Deep in the mountains, a shapeshifting mother must sift through her ancestors’ gifts and the complexities of love when one boy is born with a beautiful set of fox ears and another is not. In the wake of her elderly mother’s tragic death, a daughter tries to make sense of the online dating profile she left behind. And a man named Pooka finds new ways to weave new stories into his abode, in spite of his inherited suffering.
A startling and beguiling story collection, Glorious Frazzled Beings is a love song to the homes we make, keep, and break.
| Published By | House of Anansi Press Inc — Sep 7, 2021 |
| Specifications | 304 pages | 5.5 in x 7 in |
| Keywords | short stories; magical realism; family relationships; nature; collage; design; art; quirky reads; canadian literature; creative writing; |
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Supporting Resources
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Excerpt |
| Written By |
ANGÉLIQUE LALONDE was the recipient of the 2019 Writers' Trust Journey Prize, has been nominated for a National Magazine Award, and was awarded an Emerging Writer’s Intensive at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Her work has been published in numerous journals and magazines. Lalonde is the second-eldest of four daughters. She dwells on Gitxsan Territory in Northern British Columbia with her partner, two small children, and many non-human beings. She holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Victoria. |
| Written By |
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ANGÉLIQUE LALONDE was the recipient of the 2019 Writers' Trust Journey Prize, has been nominated for a National Magazine Award, and was awarded an Emerging Writer’s Intensive at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Her work has been published in numerous journals and magazines. Lalonde is the second-eldest of four daughters. She dwells on Gitxsan Territory in Northern British Columbia with her partner, two small children, and many non-human beings. She holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Victoria. |
Short-listed, Scotiabank Giller Prize, 2021
Glorious Frazzled Beings is a prophetic rhapsody of a book. Lalonde masterfully threads everyday magic through these stories, each a virtuoso exploration of what it means to be at home in the world we know, or the brave new world we are just discovering.
” —Christy Ann Conlin, author of The Speed of MercySly, mythical, wise, Glorious Frazzled Beings is an extraordinary work of non-conformist daring: a boy is born with fox ears, an abandoned pregnancy test is encountered by random women in mall bathroom, an overwhelmed mother makes clothing for tiny ghosts. With sharp visionary instinct, Lalonde not only confronts both the magic and cruelty of living, and the border between worlds, mythical and visceral — she lights it on fire. Brilliantly alive, full of devastation and wonder, reading these stories will change you.
” —Heidi Sopinka, author of The Dictionary of Animal LanguagesI love this book! A magical debut. Angélique Lalonde is one of those writers who is already absolutely brilliant. I can’t believe she is just warming up. These are stories to curl around with a big mug of good tea, the kind of stories that seem lighthearted and whimsical but are actually doing so much heavy lifting. You will laugh out loud. You will find these lines embedded in your dreams, think of them while you are doing mundane chores, wonder at their sneaky magic — How did she do that? What is that spell? Sometimes you will think you have it figured out but ultimately, it will always elude you.
” —Katherena Vermette, author of The Break and The StrangersFrom a garden in dawn’s mist to the indignities of the dentist’s chair, Lalonde's eclectic style penetrates the senses. With tremendous imagination, compassion, and fierce prose, these stories will walk you home.
Glorious Frazzled Beings is storytelling magic — a haunting dream of a book, by turns strange and powerfully lucid. I’m captivated by the relations so boldly evoked. I’m moved by the intimacies, the wicked humour, the glorious dare of play. Angélique Lalonde is an original talent who is channeling forces far beyond us in this urgent debut.
” —David Chariandy, author of Brother