Canary

Marina Warner’s second story, Canary was far less disconcerting and very engaging. This is a lady who has an economy of style and a richness of knowledge. Not a word is wasted in her polished style as the story twists and turns through the knowledge and emotion which becomes the lifeblood of the tale. With ease she takes you on a journey from Vietnam Vets to art, literature and, in the end, relationships. She can seem to encapsulate the complexity of people and their bonds, people and their lives. The Canary is Jessica , the artist wife of a very engaging Manley, a Vietnam Vet. Within that relationship the narrator has a part to play and along the way there are interesting observations about people, life, art and politics. I thought this story was very clever and I appreciated the fact that, as a reader, I was neither pampered nor patronised.