Beggar's Garden

This is a fine collection of linked short stories. Christie worked in homeless shelter in the rough Eastside neighborhood of Vancouver BC. Clearly he was touched by the people he met there, for the empathy he feels for the people he writes about -- the addicted, the mentally ill, the forgotten and marginalized of society -- is palpable.

What's equally impressive is that Christie writes about them without it feeling exploitative. He looks deeply into their lives, their thoughts and their hearts, but there's no sense of voyeurism, just as the is no moralizing. The sympathy he creates is entirely due to his talent at making us see his characters as humans no so unlike us, broken, fragile, floundering, perhaps, but still us and not some show more judgment-inducing "them".

The writing is clean and precise, and creates the perfect tone -- neither too stark, nor too romantic.

I recommend this book. I would be surprised if you don't find some aspect of yourself within its pages. show less

This collection of short stories is set in the “riotous and hellish, but strangely contained, slum of [Vancouver’s] Downtown Eastside”. This area which includes part of Hastings Street is infamous across Canada. As one of Christie’s characters observes: “It was as if the country had been tipped up at one end and all the sorry b!@#$%$s had slid west, stopping only when they reached the sea, perhaps because the sea didn’t want them either.”

Told from various points of view – the grandfather who leaves food and clothing in dumpsters that he knows his drug-addicted grandson dives, an addict who has just spent his entire welfare cheque on a giant dope trip, a woman who runs a second-hand store, and so on – the stories all show more intrigued me. Short story collections always seem to have a few weaker pieces. I didn’t think this had any.

Read this if: you’re interested in knowing just how close any one of us is to being on the street; or you’d like some insight into the people in a Canadian city’s slum. 4 stars show less

I really wanted to love this book! After all, I have lived in Vancouver for many years, and I am familiar with the plight of those in Vancouver Downtown Eastside.

This is a small volume of nine short stories (262pages) that take place on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. To the author's credit, the stories are told without judgement, morality, or sentimentality. The author worked on the Vancouver Downtown Eastside for a time as a homeless shelter, reaching out to those in need, so I'm sure he knows his subject.

However, I found that I was left a bit cold by some of the short stories. I found the book to be uneven, which I suppose is not unexpected in book of short stories. Some tales really grabbed me - like "Discard" - the story of a show more widower left on his own, who decides to seek out his long forgotten grandson by going to live in the alleys where unbeknownst to his grandson, he meets up with him and they join forces." Good Bye PorkPie Hat" was a look into rooming houses in the downtown Eastside and a man addicted to crack. " King Me" was a fascinating look into the lives - one in particular - of those still left in Vancouver's Mental Hospital, Riverview. That story was quite heartbreaking -and yet - those people probably have it better than those who have been turned out of Riverview Hospital to the Downtown Eastside. Another story tugged at my heartstrings -" The Queen of Cans and Jars". In summary, it's the tale of a woman who worked in the shoe department of Woodwards. After losing her job at Woodwards she choses to run and live in within the premises of a second hand thrift shop in the Downtown Eastside. Another stab at the heart concerns the story of a mentally disabled man, who relies on a somewhat dishonest buddy to manage his affairs, rather than live in a boarding house. I don't want to say to much more - so as not to spoil the book for any of you. The last story is an interesting twist of a tale.

While this book did not grab me the way I expected - in retrospect, I suppose the majority of the stories were worthwhile reads. This author did particularly well in portraying the poor, the marginalized, and the mentally ill -and how so many of us could be but a short step from those on the street. For that reason alone, perhaps this is an important read. show less

Although the title for Michael Christie’s story collection is drawn from the final story, it might well have been pulled from the second story’s title, “Discard”.

It’s at the heart of this debut collection: that which has been left behind, tossed out, put in the trash, given away, or dismissed as no longer useful/valuable/functional.

(Literally “at the heart”, for the author clearly feels a strong emotional connection with the discarded.)

People or objects that have been cast aside: these are the flora and fauna of The Beggar’s Garden.

Don’t let that put you off, however: these stories are not bleak and sorrow-filled stories of the disenfranchised.

Indeed, there are plenty of humourous moments in these tales.

(I have lot show more more to say about this collection here, if you're interested. It will have a wide appeal, even for those who normally prefer novels to stories.) show less

"The writing is brilliant, strong, and humorous�Äîbut not derogatory. Christie writes straightforwardly about the characters conditions, and some stories don’t even deal with someone directly linked to the DTES, but someone they know or love.

Read my full review: http://www.monniblog.com/2011/02/the-beggars-garden-by-michael-christie/"

On the Giller Longlist