It’s a little after the middle of the 21st century. Loving couple Elspeth and Marybeth are both shocked and excited when a stroller with identical twins is left on their back deck with a recorded message that warns them not to try to return the babies or they could face arrest for kidnapping. Using false starts, footnotes, direct approaches to the reader, lists, questions about who the author(s) might be, and even a dose of self-criticism, the story unwinds from that point as El and Mar work hard to create a family under the circumstances. This becomes even more difficult when they discover the babies come with unusual features that perhaps might explain why they were left in the first place. And it all takes place in a disintegrating world that may leave humans incapable of telling their own stories.
“How About This…? by Michael Mirolla is deliriously clever and provocatively cheeky. From the first page, this is a story that demands our full attention—and just as quickly, consumes it. Mirolla’s writing is sure-footed and lyrical; clarion even as it distorts. This is a thrilling and destabilizing narrative that interrogates the vitally human significance of story-telling with humour and wit. Highly recommend.”
– Hollay Ghadery, award-winning author of ‘Widow Fantasies’
“[An] intelligent, and engaging reading experience, one that reflects the assured hand of a veteran storyteller.”
– Ottawa Review of Books
This book was made with the generous support of the Manitoba Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts.
A metafictional feast in 3 helpings, emphasizing the “double realm” that bridges reality and art, and its power to draw people into it.
