The Goldfish Dancer - by Patricia Robertson (Paperback)

About the Book

These five stories and two novellas introduce us to characters whose obsessions occupy the borderlands between fantasy and reality.

Book Synopsis

Set in locales and time periods as varied as nineteenth century England, contemporary Spain, and postwar Alberta, these five stories and two novellas introduce us to characters whose obsessions occupy the borderlands between fantasy and reality. In the title story, the half-black grand-daughter of slaves becomes an exotic dancer in New York during WWI and develops a passion for goldfish.

Review Quotes

"In this collection [Patricia Robertson] offers stories that draw you in and make you forget about time: a rare gift."—Geist

"These are sudden, magic trips, almost note-perfect, the kind of stories that are long enough to give a sense of the people inside, while leaving you almost wistful, wanting to know even more about where they will go once the stories end."—Russell Wangersky, Women's Post

"The lingering power of her prose resides in her original vision, intriguing characters and sophisticated craft."—National Post

About the Author

Born in the UK, Patricia Robertson grew up in British Columbia and received her MA in Creative Writing from Boston University. Her most recent book is The Goldfish Dancer: Stories and Novellas. Her first collection of fiction, City of Orphans, was shortlisted for the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize. Her work has appeared in the Journey Prize Anthology and been nominated for the CBC literary awards, the Pushcart Prize, and the National Magazine Awards (three times). She was the 2008 writer-in-residence at Green College, University of B.C., and the 2010-11 writer-in-residence at Haig-Brown House in Campbell River. Currently she is a creative writing instructor at Yukon College in Whitehorse, a freelance writer/editor, and a contributing editor for CNQ.