Loose End

Ivan E. Coyote loves her mom and dad, her extended family, her godson and her dogs—hell, she even loves her neighbours, some of whom are deeply “normal” and others of whom are lesbian, homosexual, trans-gendered and undecided—and she writes stories about all of them. These tales would remind me of Stuart McLean if it weren’t for Coyote’s gender-bending take on life, which is bound to leave both rednecks and liberals shaking their heads and asking themselves, “What just happened here?” Where McLean writes about heartwarming family life in small-town Canada, in Loose End (Arsenal Pulp Press), Coyote writes about heartwarming encounters with ten-year-old tomboys, the lesbian life-drawing collective and people who call her a “fucking dyke” or a “fucking faggot” (depending on which assumption they make). She can be forgiven for a tendency to spell things out a little too clearly instead of letting the story speak for itself because her characters are so quirky, funny and likable.