FATHER MUST: STORIES Rick Rofihe Toronto, HarperCollins, 1991. 181pp, cloth, $20.95 ISBN 0-00-223751-2. CIP Reviewed by Joan McGrath Volume 20 Number 2 1992 March Rick Rofihe's short stories are very sophisticated indeed, and it comes as no surprise to learn that they have appeared in The New Yorker and Grand Street. His work is impossible to categorize, for he is quirky and unpredictable: no two of his stories are alike. He moves with ease from the viewpoint of a newcomer to North America, to that of a child, of a woman or a new stepfather, with equal assurance and believably. Of the sixteen short works included in the collection Father Must, "Jelly Doughnuts," a poignant tale told through the voice of a daughter of Holocaust survivors, and "Something about Ireland," another first-person narrative, this time detailing the amazement of one Irish brother at the canny way their nationality is exploited by his brother in his new home in America, were particularly memorable. All are interesting, although some of the pieces are mere thought-provoking scraps a few pages long. Rofihe is a talented writer, whose versatility and empathetic sensibility are remarkable; best reserved for the use and appreciation of serious senior students of English literature. Grades 12 and up / Ages 17 and up Joan McGrath, Board of Education for the City of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.