Short Story Spotlight: North Country by Roxane Gay

I came upon today's story completely by accident. It is a story that refused to be overlooked. I listen to a podcast called Selected Shorts that features short stories read by actors, either from television and movies or Broadway. As I am way behind, I was catching up on shows from October. North Country by Roxane Gay moved me so much that I looked up the story and soon realized I have the book, The Best American Short Stories 2012, in which this story is published and I had read it before. There was something about hearing the story read with intense emotion and thoughtfulness for the content that made it finally resonate with me.

It is love story that doesn't mean to be a love story. It is more about how a woman named Kate overcomes the traumatic hardship of miscarrying a child and a cheating boyfriend and a promise no longer longed for. In the process, Kate also meets a simple man named Magnus and against her own reluctance, she falls in love with him.

The repetition of the opening paragraphs read like poetry and set a steady pace for the story. I absolutely loved the opening sentences: "I have moved to the edge of the world for two years. If I am not careful, I will fall." It is beautiful foreshadowing to her reluctance to live in Michigan, the place to which she moved to get away from her former love and life. Kate is a flawed character because she is hurting and has not come to terms with the magnitude of that hurt. So at each turn, she pushes Magnus away, while wanting to get closer to him and when they become too close for her comfort, she acts flippant toward their relationship and ultimately hurts his feelings. I was glad that Magnus had a backbone and didn't stick around when she downplayed who he was to her, because he could have tried harder, which is what happens sometimes in love stories. Instead, Magnus gave Kate space to realize her true feelings.

It is incredibly difficult to write well rounded character in a short story. The short form does not lend itself to character growth, but Gay made the most out of the sentences. Each character had their own personality, the main character, Kate, had her own sarcastic and clever voice, and she showed growth by the end.

The story cannot be found for free but you can listen to the Selected Shorts episode, Flash Forward, through iTunes. It was originally published in Hobart Issue 12 and I read it in The Best American Short Stories 2012. Until next time, happy reading!