South of Elfrida

by Holley Rubinsky

The nature of relationships is skilfully illuminated in this collection of stories by award-winning author Holley Rubinsky. The characters in South of Elfrida struggle to hang on to elements of their lives as they weave uncertainly among their various realities. With an economy of words, Rubinsky's insight reveals the full range of experiencing midlife and delves into the world of coming face to face with a truth that can no longer be avoided.

Genres: Short Stories

232 pages, Paperback

First published March 12, 2013

About the author

Holley Rubinsky, a fiction writer living in the mountains of British Columbia, is the author of four books, most recently her story collection, South of Elfrida.

BC BOOKWORLD chose South of Elfrida for a staff pick. "..[Rubinsky's] the real deal for anyone who enjoys sophisticated storytelling."

Judy LeBlanc wrote in The Coastal Spectator: "In a literary workd where clever verbiage and narrative sleight-of-hand [are] too often celebrated over substance, Rubinsky's voice is wise and straight-up."

Reviews

[George Ilsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

All too often, a collection of short fiction contains a few stories which are repetitive, or a couple of stories which do not belong at all. Less is more, as they always say.

Rubinsky, however, has managed to put together 18 stories, each of which is somehow unique. There are some similarities in the broadest terms: women of a certain age, usually single women, snowbirds, Arizona, yet I never had the feeling that I had just read this story. There's even a couple of stories in the middle which feature cats, and one of these, "Darling", is memorable. Perhaps because I didn't know what a javelina was and had to look it up. Or maybe it was because of the beautifully ambiguous ending and the fate of the older man Joe.

I wish more collections were like South of Elfrida.

[Holley Rubinsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

"These eighteen stories are Holley Rubinsky's gift to the world, each one equal parts intelligence, sadness and jokes. Her empathy for her characters is vast, her craft pitch-perfect, and each of these eighteen worlds is an authentic place with even-more authentic troubles. Many lives end in these pages, but just as many begin anew—stories swerve from the loss of wisdom to the wisdom of loss but are never less than absolutely joyful." —Adam Lewis Schroeder, author of In the Fabled East

"Holley Rubinsky's new collection is a treat for all the senses. Each story startles while at the same time rings true." -- Judy Toews, Never Say Diet: Discover Your Body's Inner Wisdom

If you’re like me, you’ll want to make your way through Holley Rubinsky’s South of Elfrida slowly, savouring the earthy quirkiness of her characters; the masterful sense of pace; the carefully constructed mise-en-scene of each short story. Even then you may find yourself going back over what you’ve read to reacquaint yourself with a turn of phrase that brought a bizarre kind of glamour to something mundane. Rubinsky’s words do have a way of staying with you. — Dianne Linden, Shimmerdogs; On Fire (Thistledown Press, 2013)


"The stories are acutely observed and very fluently written; they're sometime sad, sometimes funny, always engaging. I loved the desert landscapes and relished being plunged into a world not my own -- one of people on the move, snowbirds, border-crossers, people between one thing and the next. And I really enjoyed the fauna. So much modern fiction is merely human, but here characters relate passionately not only to each other, but also to their environments and the animals, domestic and wild, with whom they live." -- Kathy Page, Alphabet, The Find


"The descriptions are exquisite, as are the details of the characters' lives. Holley Rubinsky is wise in the ways of the world and in the complications of the yearning heart." -- Alistair MacLeod

"...Quirky, moving, and laugh-out-loud funny." -- Caroline Adderson

[Glen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a strong collection of stories, almost entirely about women, and almost all either set in or with a strong connection to Arizona. At first I found that strangely annoying since I know of the author because of her connection to the West Kootenay region in southeast British Columbia, but after a few stories when it became apparent that Canada was not going to figure largely in these stories (except for one, "Open to Interpretation"), I was able to appreciate these tales for what they are: stories of women struggling with varying degrees of valor or desperation to hang on to whatever they have left of integrity, feeling for others, relationships, sanity, meaning--you name it. Rubinsky tells these tales swiftly and with unpredictable but internally relevant twists, and is enough of an artist to end almost every story, to put it figuratively, in front of an open gate.

[Marmot · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was not nearly as good as I was hoping. It has a very beautiful cover, a lovely colourful painting of an interesting southern landscape. But the old “don’t judge a book by its cover” unfortunately held true. The stories nearly all felt like some variation of some sad woman’s lonely life. There wasn’t much hopeful, uplifting , inspiring, humorous or intuitive about these stories. I only sort of liked 3 of them, the rest I’d rather just forget I ever read.

[Gillian VDM · Rating 2 out of 5]

Clear talent in the writing, but unfortunately a complete lack of diversity. It's more like an exercise of style, variations on a theme... women suffering from isolation, cats, birds, campers, guns, alcohol, dysfunctional relationships with parents and a hint of salvation... a 'round and a 'round we go.

[Michelle Barker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful collection of stories with some interesting threads that link them together. Many of the characters are grappling with loss in some form; many are on the road in Arizona in RVs. What I especially enjoyed was the way the author uses animals as an echo of how people treat each other (particularly the predator/prey aspect). Rubinsky has an amazing range, and she also has the enviable talent of knowing when to end a story. These are spare, elegant stories that tell the reader just enough. The opening three were my personal favourites but the whole collection is strong

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another short story collection from this author. I enjoy her writing so much. Her topics and characters are varied and she covers both the mundane and the nitty gritty, sometimes to a surprising degree. At this rate I'll have read all her available work and sadly there will be no more.

[Dianne Linden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like the cover of the book, there are sun-drenched stories - each like a small stone to turn over and over in your hand.