Innocent Objects: Short Story

by Diane Schoemperlen

Eccentric and living happily alone, Helen is an oddity and a mystery in her town. When she goes on her annual trip to the city, her house is left empty—the perfect target for a thief who knows her habits. While Helen enjoys the luxuries of the city, the thief roams her home, discovering innocent objects with immense history and meaning, if not necessarily monetary worth.

Forms of Devotion contains eleven stories, each one a brilliant interplay of words and images. Forms of Devotion is a playful, sometimes surreal, and often mysterious juxtaposition of a historical fascination with anatomy and classical themes with the author's contemporary exploration of everyday people, places, and things.

HarperCollins brings great works of literature to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in ebook production and celebrating reading in all its forms. Look for more titles in the HarperCollins short-stories collection to build your digital library.

50 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 20, 2013

About the author

Diane Schoemperlen, short-story writer, novelist, teacher, editor (b at Thunder Bay, Ont 9 July 1954). Diane Schoemperlen grew up in Thunder Bay, Ont, and attended Lakehead University. After graduating in 1976, she spent a summer studying at the Banff Centre, under such writers as W.O. MITCHELL and Alice MUNRO. Since 1986, she has focused on her writing career and has taught creative writing at schools such as St Lawrence College and the Kingston School of Writing. She currently lives in Kingston, Ontario.

Reviews

[Ana Slemenšek · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a clever and engaging short story with a fun experimental twist in its narration. The multimodal elements enhance the mystery, making guessing the thief very enjoyable. My theories kept shifting, which made the read all the more exciting. Altogether, a smart and playful piece.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this story for class. It was intriguing and we had a lot of fun looking through the text with a Marxist lens. Can be read in multiple ways due to its rich and robust contest.