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Tomato Sauce Love
by Sylvie Nicolas,
transl. Mara Bertelson
Ottawa: BuschekBooks,
2007, ISBN 1894543394, 69 pp., $15 paper.
A book of stories about tomato sauce . . . what next? In many short fiction collections, the stories have themes or characters in common, whereas in this slim volume, a recipe ingredient provides a vehicle that links the six pieces. Rife with conflict, the stories explore the relationships of couples, friends or strangers as they prepare or consume a meal.Nicolas is a Quebec writer who has worked in her province's arts scene as a director, radio host and university lecturer. She has also penned three novels in French.
Several of her stories focus on the social aspect of a meal with pasta as the entrée. In "Pastetti, Spatetti," a distraught pregnant woman drops by a friend's place and is invited to stay for dinner. During the course of the meal, she reveals a recently discovered secret. "Si Parla Italiano" recounts the story of a couple en route to a dinner party. The fact that the husband and the hostess were once lovers causes much anxiety.
The most touching story in the collection is "Why These Knives Between Us?" about a nameless woman in crisis. At the outset, she lands abruptly on the doorstep of her home after being thrown out by her lover. Everything seems hopeless till a friend comes over with some food. An improvised meal shared with a friend helps restore the woman's self-confidence.
Other stories attempt to grapple with love relationships gone awry. "Night Fall" describes a woman in the process of cooking spaghetti sauce. A friend pops over and announces her intention of stealing the woman's lover. Told as a flight of fantasy, "Oceana" spins a tale of lust and infidelity.
Throughout the book, Nicolas's taut, lyrical prose often takes on a rhythm of its own, enabling the reader to experience the innermost thoughts of the characters. The effect is both visceral and engaging.
The door! He said, the door! Shouted obscenities. Began to scream. To stutter. Pushed me. Outside. On the landing. At the stop of the stairs. Far from the door. From my door. From our love. Like a too-heavy past. (44)
Nicolas's striking images help to convey the characters' emotional state. In "Bird's Nest," the narrator confides her fragile state of mind after suffering a lover's rejection:
My love is a bunker with no address sealing his heart with tenderness. I am a bay window, fully exposed to life's bad weather . . . The frightened birds come smash against my windowpanes. (31)
Despite the brevity of this collection, readers will be struck by its strong commitment to voice, the depth of feeling that Nicolas manages to evoke and the originality of her food-centred approach.
Bev Sandell Greenberg is a Winnipeg writer and teacher.
Buy this book at McNally-Robinson Booksellers.