I recently saw the movie Fur, about documentary photographer Diane Arbus (pronounced Dee-ahn, played by Nicole Kidman) which was a fictional biography. A fictional biography seemed like a bit of a strange idea to me, a story that could possibly have taken place in her life, smooshed between real events, but that was in reality – fabricated.

Then, I realized (I was already about halfway through this novel) – that I was reading a fictional biography. Michael Winter’s The Big Why is really that, a description of events that may or may not (but probably mostly did not) occur during the time Rockwell Kent (a real american artist, see: Rockwell Kent ) was living in Brigus.

It was most interesting to me to see Michael Winter’s style, very modern, very sexual & raw, very diary-like, and full of philosophizing over anything and everything – which I appreciate – used to tell a story nearly one hundred years old. That takes place in a small fishing community. Without running water. In the middle of nowhere Canada.

But I was pleased, it works really well. I like thinking all of this is real, that this happened.

Michael Winter captures my heart with his direct poetic language, everytime.

This collection of short-stories pre-dates his diary-esque This All Happened – again following fictional creation Gabriel English.

While these short stories are heart-felt and often captivating they do not possess the poetic grace of This All Happened. The stories are sometimes more harsh and exciting than I would prefer, focusing not on the simplest aspects of life but on monumental events of Gabriel’s childhood.

I found the most interesting stories were those near the end, that bring in Lydia, his on-again-off-again girlfriend from This All Happened. Also of note is a little bit of inconsistancy between the two books – I believe at the end of This All Happened he and Lydia seperate – yet they are married for some of the short stories in One Last Good Look. Somehow though, these small(?) inconsistancies make me warm up to the stories and Michael Winter. These characters are for all purposes just devices and in each story they can do as they please. Yet, I do miss the Lydia from This All Happened, I felt she was a stronger person.

These stories are an interesting look back into the childhood of a character that we feel very intune with after having read This All Happened, and while it is a good read, I firmly recommend This All Happened over this less focused, earlier collection of stories.

Really just a lovely story, told (I am told) in a Bridget Jones-esque format. A very poetic journal highlighting an entry from each day of the year, canvasing the narrator’s friends, his love interest, his progress on his novel, and the attitudes about St. Johns. Some really great lines and a captivating sequence of events really bring us into his life.