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The latest book that we had to read for class is Natasha and Other Stories by David Bezmozgis. It seems as though I have gotten my wish and we are reading another collection of short stories from a Canadian author. It is also another book in the course that focuses on the story of the Canadian immigrant. Similar to Barnacle Love, it focuses on one family, but it is different because only one character narrates the connected stories in Natasha. In lecture, Gail mentioned that the book is actually autobiographical fiction and that a lot of it is based on Bezmozgis' upbringing, but that he is more interested in writing the fiction aspects. I was interested in the idea that, like all of the other writers we have read to this point, Bezmozgis uses what he knows to communicate slightly altered stories about his life to his reader. But unlike the others, he is more open to admitting how much and which parts of the stories are inspired by his own life. For example, I was surprised to learn from Gail that Bezmozgis has admitted that the story "Natasha" is taken almost directly from his life, except for the fact that he does not have an uncle, because it is so personal and graphic. For most people, telling a story about an intimate relationship they had with a family member in their youth would be a taboo subject. This revelation has encouraged me to think of my own life as a series of short stories. Writing does not have to be about doing incredible amounts of research and telling a story about a stranger, but can be inspired by my own life, told with a twist.
I also was interested in the story "Roman Berman, Massage Therapist". Reading about Mark's father Roman and his struggle to transfer the skills he had acquired in his home country of Latvia, which is a obstacle that many immigrants face when they come to Canada. My own mother, a trained secretary, had to find work in a factory because of her limited knowledge of English and her inability to use a computer. Unlike my own parents, however, Roman does succeed in starting his own Massage Therapy clinic, despite the initial challenges he faces. He works hard to pass the required exams and uses his connection to his community to benefit his business. This also reminded me of my father and how he has had to take English classes and other courses to attain a second career after the factory he worked in closed and moved to Mexico. Like Roman, he was determined to do well in his classes and applied an optimistic hope to an otherwise unfortunate situation. I felt that this story, out of all of them, truly commented on the persevering spirit of many Canadian immigrants. Although my parents did not have the same opportunities to develop their English or other skills to go as far as to have their own business, they have worked hard to raise my sister and I with the idea that anything is possible in this country, as long as we work hard, are determined, and never lose hope.
The picture I am including below is one that "Roman Berman, Massage Therapist" reminded me of. It is of my sister, my father, and I about two years after we came to Canada, in our first apartment in Kitchener. Like the story of "Rose" in the Chinese Knot, this picture reminds me of the great relationship I have with my parents and the promising life that they worked so hard to give my sister and I.
I'm starting to think that writing about the collections of short stories focused on immigrant Canadians might be a good idea for my Critical Commentary at the end of the year...
I really enjoyed reading Lien Chao's The Chinese Knot. During her reading yesterday, she mentioned that she focused on immigration and emigration because it demonstrates an exciting process of change and struggle or a loss and gain. This reminded me of De Sa's stories in Barnacle Love and the similar ideas that I am focusing on in my first Letter Assignment. Just as his stories revolved around a family's adjustment to living a new life in Canada from the perspective of two males at different points in their lives, The Chinese Knot tells a similar story but through the eyes of very different single female narrators. This is again an interesting theme to me because I am also a female immigrant living in Canada. Although I have lived here for the majority of my life, I am still an amalgamation of both cultures and my parents' decision to immigrate here was both a loss and a gain, as Chao discussed.
Two of my favourite stories in The Chinese Knot were "Under the Monkey Bars" and Rose.
In "Under the Monkey Bars," Wei Ming is an elderly woman who confronts racism. This story reminded me of Julia in The Other Sister, who is also opinionated, outspoken, and independent, despite what people may expect from her because of her age.
After reading "Rose," I felt a deep sadness. I was bewildered by the story and how a daughter could be able to reject her own mother. Although my mother and I do not always agree on certain issues, I have a close relationship with her, love her, and know that I can always rely on her. I know that the situation told in the short story was different from my own upbringing and that I am not a product of divorce and have never spent time away from my mother, but I cannot imagine not wanting to have a relationship with her. Chao writes with such honesty and frailty that I really felt sympathetic towards the character of Rose. I just imagined how my mom would feel if I did not want to talk to her on a daily basis like I do now and my heart sank. Reading "Rose" made me further appreciate the relationship I have with my mom and made me want to make sure she knows how much I am grateful for her role and constant presence in my life. Although I felt most emotional when I read "Rose", all of Chao's characters are easy to identify with and are recognizable, which must be because they were inspired by real women that the author encountered in her own life. I was able to easily feel sympathy or happiness for her female protagonists, depending on the tone of the story.
Another character that was familiar to me was the city of Toronto. Chao mentioned that it acted not only as a setting, but as another character in her stories. Its streets, parks, and neighbourhoods all shaped and framed her connected narratives. This made her work identifiably Canadian and helped me to relate to the stories, as many of the landmarks she mentioned were familiar to me.
So far this course has already changed my perception of Canadian literature. I previously thought that it was mostly written by Caucasian Canadians and did not tell the stories of the many immigrants that make this multicultural country so diverse. But by reading De Sa and Chao, I know that I have much more to learn about what Canadian literature can be. The rest of the books in the course look to be just as diverse and I know that I will be just as interested in learning about their stories. I also have gained a new opinion of short stories. Previous to this course, I had never been very interested in reading collections of short stories. But after reading Barnacle Love and The Chinese Knot, the format is actually one of my new favourites. It allows for episodic takes on the characters' lives, while still allowing the reader to be emotionally invested in the material. Although I originally read Barnacle Love as a novel, reading it as a collection instead, allowed me to let go of the parts I missed (such as Manuel and Georgina's first years in Canada) and concentrate on why the episodes that De Sa did choose to write about were so important to the narrative and the development of the characters. This is different to Chao, who writes about many different characters. For her book, choosing to write short stories, allowed her to examine the lives of many female characters, without having to intertwine their stories, as she would have been forced to had she written a novel. I look forward to reading the other collections of short stories in the course, and Natasha and Other Stories and Shopping for Sabzi.
