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TDR Letter

Subject: Alex Boyd's Review of Ivan E. Coyote's One Man's Trash

Hi editor

Alex Boyd said two things in the review of One Man's Trash that I just don't agree with.

First, he says, "The stories in One Man's Trash almost read like a novel, given that Coyote has made herself the first person narrator in all of them, keeping a very conversational style throughout." 

Well, just because Coyote writes that way doesn't mean the narrator is Coyote herself. Boyd gave no evidence to support that claim. He says Coyote 'appears to take the stories from her own life.' Appears? So what? Isn't misunderstanding narrators in fiction to be authors in disguise the hallmark of the sciolist?

Second, Boyd says, "...lines like this, from Trick Road Trip should charm any reader: 'Life was almost perfect, until yesterday when I found a black polyester shirt with yellow and red sparkly flames all over it, and now it is sublime.' " 

Again, where's his proof? He says nothing about why the line is supposedly charming. I don't think it's charming. It sounds like something from a Gap ad. Does he mean I'm defective if I don't find it charming?

What a prosaic review!

Ed Parker
Toronto
 

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The Danforth Review is produced in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. All content is copyright of its creator and cannot be copied, printed, or downloaded without the consent of its creator. The Danforth Review is edited by Michael Bryson. Poetry Editors are Geoff Cook and Shane Neilson. Reviews Editor is K.I. Press. All views expressed are those of the writer only. International submissions are encouraged. The Danforth Review is archived in the National Library of Canada. ISSN 1494-6114. 

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