Bird North And Other Stories by Breton Dukes
Victoria University Press $35
The blurb on the back of Breton Dukes' début short-story collection, Bird North And Other Stories, adds him to an esteemed line of New Zealand exponents of the genre: Frank Sargeson, Maurice Duggan and Owen Marshall. These are writers who make the lives of men central to their stories.
Once I got past the inspired cover by Dylan Horrocks, I stalled on the question - would the stories earn Dukes a spot in such a line-up?
The answer is, yes. In the main, Dukes' stories are short and gripping, concise yet succulent. The sentences are plain. There are blokey jokes and language (I cringed at a few points, I must admit). There are dark edges and twisty turns. Yet he delivers characters who rise above male stereotypes and make people complex and intriguing.
A young man, newly in love, watches an Argentine prepare mashed potatoes with finely chopped parsley in a holiday-park kitchen. It sounds corny to come away with the notion that you can't live on love alone, but this idea ticks beneath the surface of a story that is a little gem. It works perfectly.