Broken Windows is a collection of sixteen short stories, diverse in structure and tone. Point of view in the stories varies as well, though these stories tend to employ restrained or skewed interiority. None of the stories strives towards particular themes, but what often emerges are characters who have difficulty communicating with people who should be their intimates. The restrained interiority resonates with this theme, inviting readers to enter the stories and see more, perhaps, than the characters themselves. Most of the stories are set in Saskatchewan, in places that are urban, rural, or in between. The fictional town of Mackadoo will be familiar to readers acquainted with any of Saskatchewan’s many small communities. These are “prairie stories” and, although there are no dust storms or blizzards, physical risk remains as part of the landscape. The crises are internal, however, and more accurately they can be termed “stories of prairie people.
