Main Brides

by Gail Scott

tagged: literary, contemporary women

Description

It is a hot June day. A woman sits in a bar in Montreal’s Main, waiting. Pushing down the disturbing scene (the police, a blanket) she saw that morning in the park. To focus herself, she tries to guess the stories of other women who come and go as the day darkens into night: the teenager Nanette; Adele of Halifax, who’s constantly on a train; a woman just back from Cuba; two lesbian lovers (one’s a “cowgirl”); Z., a performance artist; Norma jean from Toronto; the taunting radio voice of a woman promising a tango. Between the portraits, the woman watches and drinks and spins a setting for her “brides.” The question is, why does she keep deferring going home?

About the Author

Gail Scott was born in Ottawa and grew up in a bilingual community in Eastern Ontario. She worked as a journalist for several years writing about Quebec culture and politics for The Gazette, as well as contributing to The Globe & Mail and Maclean’s. She has been an editor of Spirale and Tessera. Her fiction and criticism have appeared in several journals. She is the author of two novels: Main Brides (1993) and Heroine (1987); Spare Parts, a collection of short stories; and Spaces Like Stairs, a collection of essays. Most recently, she translated Lise Tremblay’s Mile End (La danse juive, Lemeac, 1999). She lives in Montréal.

Contributor Notes

Gail Scott
Gail Scott’s fiction and criticism have appeared in several journals. She is the author of two novels: Main Brides (1993) and Heroine (1987); Spare Parts, a collection of short stories; and Spaces Like Stairs, a collection of essays. Most recently, she translated Lise Tremblay’s Mile End (La danse juive, Lemeac, 1999). She lives in Montréal.

Editorial Reviews

“Gail Scott has an extraordinary ability to compress scenic observations … into short, jewel-like notations.”
— Hugh Hood

Scott is one of the most gutsy writers around.
—Globe & Mail

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Main Brides

by Gail Scott

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