When the Bottom Falls Out by Thomas, H Nigel (2014) Paperback

by H. Nigel Thomas

These finely crafted stories, set in the Caribbean and in Montreal, are about consequences of decisions made—sometimes for good reasons, sometimes out of hubris, sometimes on impulse, and sometimes because there is no choice. In “Robertson,” pushed by the community to take action against his wife and her lover, Robertson creates a situation he’s unprepared for. In “Glimpses into the Higginsons’ Closet,” through young Licia’s eyes we witness child exploitation rationalized with racial and religious ideology. In “The Headmaster’s Visit,” we watch a headmaster clumsily seeking forgiveness from a student he’d wronged several decades before, even as he vaunts and displays his cruelty. In the title story, Rob begins to face the aftermath of his and Henry’s arrest for loving each other. Praise for H Nigel Thomas's Whole and "In Thomas’ hands the interior monologue becomes a powerful tool for voicing character and experience. Time and again he demonstrates his skill at reproducing the speech patterns of characters with Caribbean origins to mesmerizing effect. . . . the stories contained in Lives Whole and Otherwise are all about shaking one frame or another. H. Nigel Thomas gives voice to a hard social reality that refuses the glib formulas of traditional narrative form." —The Rover

Genres: Short Stories

Paperback

First published September 1, 2014

About the author

H Nigel Thomas was born in St Vincent. He attended university in Montreal and for ten years was a teacher with the Protestant School Board of Greater Montreal. He is now professor of literature at Laval University. His published works include the novel Spirits in the Dark, which was short-listed for the 1994 Quebec Writers’ Federation Hugh MacLennan Fiction Award; How Loud Can the Village Cock Crow, short fiction; and Moving through Darkness, poetry.

Reviews

[Marilyn Stanley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of short stories that held my interest so much so that I read the book in one sitting. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it!