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ksoles
Jun 11, 2014ksoles rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
At 28, B.C. native Claire Battershill has already won the CBC Literary Award, co-won the Canadian Authors Association’s Emerging Writer Award, and made the final list for the inaugural PEN International/New Voices Award. Her debut collection, "Circus," proves that she deserves such acclaim. Her stories show that everyday life comprises moments of grandeur; she continually transforms a string of events that no one would as special or noteworthy into the greatest show on Earth. Battershill transports readers from a crowded airport departure lounge to the stillness of the British Museum, from the spectacle of the Winter Olympics to the modesty of a local Miniatureland, all the while using an unpretentious, conversational style. The stories weave sentences together with an effortless, magical proficiency and turn banal questions into profound ones: what do you do when you come across an a old, unlocked bicycle and get the sudden urge to take it for a spin? What might compel someone to create a miniature world, to spend her life painstakingly crafting perfect replicas of her existence so she doesn't have to leave the past behind? How might a chance encounter as a teenager at a jump rope competition change the trajectory of your life and your thoughts? Furthermore, these radiant stories explore the often surprising things we do in the hope of love and connection. Battershill's all-too-human cast of characters sits on the cusp of enormous change; each individual must balance his/her obsessions, idiosyncrasies and unusual talents in order to deal with it. A whimsical, wondrous and wise exploration into human relationships and the passions that bind them.