Traplines: Stories - Hardcover

Robinson, Eden

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0805044469 ISBN 13: 9780805044461

Publisher: Henry Holt & Co, 1996

Synopsis

A collection of short stories explores homes where bullies, psychopaths, and delinquents are in charge, from a teenager deciding whether to run away or stay with abusive parents to a daughter comng to terms with her mother's history as a murderer

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Reviews

Consisting of three short stories and one novella-length piece, Canadian writer Robinson's uninspired debut focuses on teenage angst and violently dysfunctional families. In the title story, a young man must avoid the brutal attentions of his older brother, who is in turn abused by their father. "Seven and Counting," about a young girl whose mother is a serial killer, fails to provide much depth to its tabloid scenario. The long story, "Contact Sports," in which a wealthy older cousin simultaneously terrorizes and financially supports a teenage boy, does build to some genuine menace but fails to give its sadistic villain adequate motivation. The more fragmentary "Queen of the North," about a girl who's been sexually abused by her uncle, shows a touch of stylistic flair, though it too offers no new insights. While her work has a certain raw energy, Robinson's material is both familiar and sensationalistic, lacking the gifts of characterization and voice that allowed books like Dorothy Allison's Bastard Out of Carolina or Jayne Anne Phillips's Black Tickets to mine similar material so effectively. 25,000 first printing; author tour.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

A debut collection of scary realist stories that derives much of its power from the author's casual style--her matter-of-fact way of recording the most violently dysfunctional families from a young person's point of view. What's sad and depressing is that Robinson's narrators don't seem to realize just how screwed-up their lives are. At one extreme, in ``Seven and Counting,'' the daughter of a serial- murderer mom fears that someday her mother will return for her or, even worse, that her genes will inevitably drive her to some bloody fate. In the title story, the young male narrator remains oddly loyal to his violent family. Though his parents are both alcoholics and his older brother a mean druggie, he turns down an offer from his English teacher to come live with her and her husband. Trapped in the cold and comfortless landscape of remote Canada, Robinson's teenagers can't get a break. The girl who lives on a reservation in ``Queen of the North,'' scarred by early sexual abuse, resigns herself to a life of brawling, getting high, and promiscuity. The long novella, ``Contact Sports,'' is edgy and disorienting, a weird tale of psychological torture that portrays a young boy in conflict with his older cousin, ``a whacked out drug addict who likes to play God.'' The epileptic son of an unmarried alcoholic, Tom barely manages to hold things together, so his cousin's arrival with wads of money seems a godsend to his mother. Kicked out of the Army for a violent incident, the crazed cousin now dedicates himself to Tom's makeover, from grungy punk slob to solid citizen. The two begin a lethal psycho-duel, raising the ante with each act of reciprocal vengeance. The kids in these rough, bitter stories worry about the basics (food, clothes, housing) and, with their creator, never indulge in theorizing or preaching. Robinson's a first-timer who can truly command attention. (First printing of 25,000; $25,000 ad/promo; regional author tour) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

It is not just the Canadian air and ice that are cold in Robinson's bracing short stories, for so are the hardened hearts of her characters. Newcomer Robinson offers unsparing tales of deeply troubled families. Her adolescent narrators spend their tense and hungry days avoiding beatings from parents, siblings, and manipulative cousins, all habitually pissed off and high on booze or narcotics. Domestic violence and poverty are endured and concealed; escape is hopeless, and kindness comes with too steep a price. In the title story, Will remembers how his monomaniacal father forced him to learn how to skin the animals caught in his traplines, an endless lesson in terror and gore. In the creepiest story, teenager Lisa describes her attempts at suicide and her serial killer mother. Robinson handles such extremes with unnerving subtlety. The big bad things are the worst, but it is the little things--specks of blood on a boot toe, the shock of a well-stocked refrigerator--that carry the full weight of all the cruelty and sorrow she dramatizes. Donna Seaman

In this first collection of four unrelated novellas, Roberson, a young Canadian writer, tries to capture the struggle of urban teenagers. The title story examines alcoholic parents, child abuse, drugs, and a few high school pranks. The second story, "Second and Counting," covers multiple murders, foster care, and suicide. The third, "Contact Sports," is filled with more drug taking, child abuse, and high school pranks along with stealing and drug dealing. The final piece, "Queen of the North," tells of all of the above in addition to sexual abuse and casual sex. The collection reads like this review: a list of shocking and upsetting events. Unfortunately, the events are repetitious and lack detail and depth. The characters have no time to develop or explore themselves because they are always jumping to the next tragedy. Not recommended.?Emily Engel Moore, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

The following text is part of a short story called: "Contact Sports."
That Saturday, Tom lay in bed reading. His arms hurt. Shoulders ached. Five hours of washing Jeremy's stupid car, scrubbing the goddamn apartment floors, and being Jeremy's fucking maid. Jeremy could take his money and shove it. There was no way he was going to spend another day like this. Jeremy knocked. Tom knew it was Jeremy because his mom never knocked before entering a room. Frowning, he hunched down and stared at the book, no longer seeing the words.
"Still sore at me?" Jeremy said cheerfully.
Tom flipped the page.
'Yes, Jeremy'," Jeremy said in a high, squeaky voice. "'I still hate your guts.'" Jeremy sat on the bed. In his normal voice he continued, "What if I asked you if you wanted to go for a ride?" He stood up. "'Well, I don't know. I'd have to ask my mom.'"
"Go away," Tom said, turning so Jeremy wouldn't see his face.
"It speaks!"
Tom clenched his mouth shut. "'I've finished all my homework and I don't have a thing to do, Jeremy.'" Jeremy punched Tom's leg. "Well, let's go then." Tom put his fingers in his ears.
"It's been a whole hour since you talked to me," Jeremy said sadly. "If you don't say something soon, I'm going to just die." "Get lost," Tom said.
"Well. Happy birthday, kid." Then, casually, "I got you a present. Curious?"
"No." Tom flipped a page.
"It's bigger than a bread box."
Tom slammed the book shut. He glared at Jeremy and moved to get off the bed. Jeremy, laughing, grabbed his arms and pushed him down.
"Let go!" Tom said, struggling.
"Hah! It speaks again!" Jeremy straddled Tom's chest, pinning him to the bed. "And if it knows what's good for it, it will keep speaking!"
"Get off me!"
Jeremy hummed and pretended to clean his nails. Tom bucked, kicked, even tried to bite. Jeremy yawned.
"Ready to talk?"
"If you don't get off me now--"
"You'll do what?" Jeremy said, not moving. "Run and tell Mommy?"
Jeremy reached over and picked up the book. "Temporal Lobe Epilepsy, Mania, Schizophrenia, and the Limbic System. Some light reading, huh? Jesus, don't you ever read anything normal? Ever heard of Stephen King?"
Tom stopped struggling. "What do you want?" Jeremy smiled. "That's more like it. Let's see. Well, first, do you want to go for a ride?"
"No."
"Meep. Wrong answer," Jeremy reached down and pulled Tom's shirt up.
"What're you doing?"
"Let's try that again. Do you want to go for a ride?"
"No!"
"Meep. Wrong again. Last chance." Jeremy poked Tom hard in the side. Tom wriggled. Jeremy rubbed his hands together, chuckling. "Oh goody. Ticklish. Perfect. Now, are we going for a ride?" Tom wrenched an arm free. He hit Jeremy, who grunted and fell back. Tom rolled, twisting loose only to be caught and pushed back onto the bed again, this time on his stomach. Jeremy leaned close and whispered, "Meep. Wrong again. You lose, bozo."
No one had ever tickled Tom before. Jeremy was ruthless. When Jeremy finished with him, his ribs felt bruised and he was panting heavily, almost crying.
"Let's try that one more time," Jeremy said brightly. "Does Tommy want to go for a ride?"
Tom rested, trying to catch his breath. Jeremy lightly touched Tom's side. "Yes!" he said quickly. "Yes!
"That's more like it! Now, does Tommy forgive Jeremy for everything? Hmmm?"
"Yes."
"Tommy's not going to sulk anymore, is he?"
"No."
"Is Tommy sure? "Jeremy squeezed Tom's ribs.
"Yes. Don't, Jeremy. Please."
"Pretty please?"
Tom gritted his teeth. "Pretty please."
"I get the feeling that you aren't being sincere," Jeremy said gravely.
"If you are really, sincerely sorry for being such a pain in the butt, I think you'll want to prove it, won't you, Tommy?"

Edition details

• Publisher: Henry Holt & Co
• Publication date: 1996
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0805044469
• ISBN 13: 9780805044461
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 215