“Many times there are no reasons that will ever make sense,” (Conlin, “Occlusion,” 145).
Watermark is an absolutely astounding short story collection. Conlin writes characters that are so intriguing, who you both root for an try to understand, whose stories you desperately want to know. I love how some of the characters pop up or are mentioned in other stories and adored the love that Conlin has for Nova Scotia. This is such a strong short story collection and I can’t wait to read more of Conlin’s work!
Read my thoughts on all the stories below:
Eyeball in Your Throat – 5/5: I really enjoyed the family dynamics in this one. Conlin did an excellent job showing the different relationship Lucy and Declan had with their daughter and communicated well the frustration of trying to protect your child, the want of them to succeed and frustration at their own life choices.
Dead Time – 4/5: Conlin did a great job getting readers into a characters seriously messed up head. Even if the reveal was a bit obvious, I think that was the point, I enjoyed seeing all the pieces fit together in Isabella’s story.
The Diplomat – 3/5: This one didn’t really do it for me. I liked the theme of home, of the different reasons of leaving and the inability to go back. I just wasn’t as attached to the characters as in the previous stories.
Full Bleed – 5/5: This was FANTASTIC! Very hard to read about at times with the many mentions of breast cancer, but wow what a brilliant homage to Flannery O’Connor!
Occlusion – 4/5: Another story that focused heavily on breast cancer, mostly the testing to see if the character had it, so it freaked me out. Other than my own issues I liked the character and how the story progressed.
Late and Soon – 3/5: I’ve mentioned this in other reviews but I’m just not a fan of second person narratives, it takes too long to figure out who the reader is supposed to be. Still, I enjoyed the emotion in this one. It was quite sad.
Back Fat – 3/5: Travelling back in time to 1999 right before New Year’s Eve when people thought Y2K was going to happen. Another one that wasn’t my favourite, but I really enjoyed the character. Conlin has a great talent for developing characters in few pages and that skill shows off well in this story.
Insomnis – 4/5: One of the shorter stories in the collection, this story really gets the insomnia vibes!
Desire Lines – 5/5: A fantastic story, heartbreaking. I loved the protagonist and how Conlin slowly pieced together the tragedy of the story. Absolutely wonderful.
Beyond All Things Is The Sea – 4/5: This one hurt in it’s own ways. A bit chaotic, but that feeling fit well here.
The Flying Squirrel Sermon – 4/5: This last story felt a bit like a ghost story. I loved the slow creep of it and how the pieces slowly fit together. The voice was also really strong in this one.
Publication: August 13 2019
Publisher: House of Anansi
Pages: 307 pages (Paperback)
Source: Library
Genre: Fiction, Short Stories, Canadian
My Rating: ⛤⛤⛤⛤
Summary:
In these evocative and startling stories, we meet people navigating the elemental forces of love, life, and death. An insomniac on Halifax’s moonlit streets. A runaway bride. A young woman accused of a brutal murder. A man who must live in exile if he is to live at all. A woman coming to terms with her eccentric childhood in a cult on the Bay of Fundy shore.
Sarah O'Connor 