Abstract

Cusp is a collection of seven short stories exploring the experiences of early adulthood and coming of age among young women. The stories explore themes such as sexuality, familial strains and relations, loss, and disillusionment. Though each story was written separately and is intended to operate as its own text, as a collection the pieces form a work which investigates complex reactions to trauma. Though characters of Cusp vary in terms of age, locations, motivations and histories, their experiences and reactions are ultimately meant to blend into and borrow from each other, creating a multifaceted depiction of female coming of age in western society.
Aspects of the collection borrow significant tropes from the fairy tale genre, most notably through their rejection of conventional reality. The collection’s dynamic interpretation of “reality” ranges from “Lace in Three Days,” set in conventional versions of Montreal and Edmonton, to “What I Was Looking For,” set in a Montreal infested with turtles, to “Rot,” and “Trees, the Ocean, Girls, Toes,” both set in absurd and fable-like landscapes. Despite the often humorous tones of the collection, each story is grounded in an emotional realism developed through the intimate proximity Cusp’s narrative maintains with its characters.