Forgetting English: Stories

by Midge Raymond

Midge Raymond stretches the boundaries of place as she explores the indelible imprint of home upon the self and the ways in which new frontiers both defy and confirm who we are. The women who inhabit these stories travel for business or for pleasure, sometimes out of duty and sometimes in search of freedom, and each encounters the unexpected. From a biologist navigating the stark, icy moonscape of Antarctica to a businesswoman seeking refuge inthe lonely islands ofthe South Pacific, the characters in these stories abandon their native landscapes - only to find that, once separated from the ordinary, they must confront new interpretations of who they really are, and who they're meant to be.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Travel, Travelogue

117 pages, Paperback

First published February 15, 2009

About the author

Midge Raymond is the author of the novels Floreana and My Last Continent and a short-story collection, Forgetting English, which received the Spokane Prize for Short Fiction. Her stories have appeared in TriQuarterly, American Literary Review, North American Review, Bellevue Literary Review, the Los Angeles Times magazine, Poets & Writers, and many other publications.

Midge is also the author of Devils Island, co-authored with John Yunker. She has taught writing at Boston University, Boston's Grub Street Writers, Seattle's Richard Hugo House, and San Diego Writers, Ink.

Midge lives and writes in the Pacific Northwest. Visit her online at www.MidgeRaymond.com and www.MidgeandJohn.com.

"FLOREANA is a beautiful, unexpected, and powerful novel about the fragility of life and love in its many forms — a book that is all at a once a riveting theory on an unsolved historical mystery, a close character exploration of love and loss [that] tackles the themes of motherhood and the innate desire to nurture and be nurtured, the pain of unfulfilled expectations, and the simple beauty and tenuousness of nature. A powerful and totally unique book. Not to be missed!” — Samantha Greene Woodruff, bestselling author of THE LOBOTOMIST’S WIFE and THE TRADE OFF

“In the 1930s, a set of murders straight out of Agatha Christie took place on Floreana Island. Raymond's novel toggles between this old story and a new one, proposing a plausible solution to this enduring mystery. Is this what really happened? Who cares! Raymond’s novel is riveting and revelatory, a murder mystery embedded in other mysteries — of love and regret, loss and redemption, and how we can manage to hold on to the parts of this beautiful world that were never ours in the first place.” — Karen Joy Fowler, New York Times bestselling author of BOOTH and WE ARE ALL COMPLETELY BESIDE OURSELVES

“FLOREANA is a stunning and deeply layered murder mystery, historical novel, and environmental love letter all in one. Midge Raymond beautifully and seamlessly weaves the hidden lives of two women, a century apart, as they negotiate the fragile terrain of the Galápagos Islands along with their own troubled psyches…A haunting tale for our times.” — JoeAnn Hart, author of ARROYO CIRCLE and HIGHWIRE ACT

“Who knows what happened on Floreana Island in the Galápagos in the 1930s? In this suspenseful and immersive novel, Midge Raymond offers a possible series of events leading up to infamous awful fates of a few of the settlers, as well as telling an equally compelling contemporary story. Come for the disastrous love affairs, stay for the careful depiction of efforts being made toward penguin conservation. Much like the fantasy of desert island life, FLOREANA offers a rich bounty of attractions.” — Alice Elliott Dark, author of FELLOWSHIP POINT and IN THE GLOAMING

“FLOREANA masterfully weaves together the tales of two women who escape to the same faraway island almost a century apart. Both storylines feature deeply buried secrets, yearning, questions about what people owe to those that surround them, and the profound need for connection and purpose. The echoes and reverberations in the two timelines—about new beginnings and love and families and conservation and hope—perfectly illustrate how human concerns are universal and timeless. Raymond’s beautiful and absorbing novel kept me turning the pages, eager to find out what and who would fail to thrive on Floreana Island and what might blossom there.” — Karin Lin-Greenburg, author of YOU ARE HERE


"Midge Raymond’s debut novel is a sensitive explora

Reviews

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

The process of creativity continually intrigues me. Raymond's story plots and settings are similar to mine, yet the voice and execution are completely her own, and it was a delight to sit back and read another writer exploring the issues of travel, landscape, geography, etc., within the context of human relationships. These stories take you from Antarctica to Hawaii, and each one is told in its own voice, which I love. Favorites are "First Sunday," which opens the book, and tells the story of two very different sisters in Tonga; "The Ecstatic Cry," a surprising and revealing story set amongst a penguin colony; and a story that broke my heart, "Lost Art," which centers around a brother and sister and their art inheritance and family baggage. It's a highly original story from a wonderful new voice.

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Midge Raymond is perfection in this collection of stories regarding travel. I had to stop after every story for a few minutes to reread and really reflect on what was on the page, especially with the twists and turns of the plot.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Forgetting English is a slim volume of haunting short stories. These are stories of loss, of deep emotion, and of women trying to find their way forward. The language is lyrical — poetic in places — and the stories were lovely to read. Author Midge Raymond provides a very short but entertaining collection.

“The lanterns bob gently as they drift out to sea, some extinguished by waves or by the splash of other lanterns swimming past. Paige sees shapes of light hovering above the water — probably the mist in the air, or the effects of Abbey’s hash, or of the tears that suddenly rise in her eyes — but she stands still and watches for a long time, until the lights and voices fade away.”

My favorite of the stories is “The Rest of the World,” perhaps because it’s about a businesswoman on the road, a situation I am pretty familiar with. There is a definite feeling of disconnectedness when you’re on the road, especially in a strange country. Our traveler is in Taipei, dealing with unpleasant business while she deals with a crisis in her marriage. In her first hotel room, a man has left a message on the voicemail for another woman about a dinner date — and our businesswoman meets him instead. I love that idea, even if it’s something I’d probably never do. Through years of business travel, our traveler — whose name we never learn — has lost her connection to her husband, but maybe she is finally making a connection to herself.

“I’m not sure why I hope Kyle will call, except that I long for the familiarity of his voice. It reminds me that I’m still anchored to the world, a feeling I tend to lose when I travel, a feeling I’ve lost almost completely since losing him. I’m away six months out of a year, and when I’m home, I’m usually gearing up for another trip or coming down from one.”

This is not a long book — only 10 stories, less than 150 pages — which made it a quick read. The problem I had with it is that the stories are very much alike. The similar themes and mood, as well as Raymond’s style of storytelling, sometimes made the book feel like one long story. The writing is excellent and I was easily caught up in the stories. I hope that she expands on her themes and adds some additional stories. I would gladly read more from this author.

[Ti · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Short of It:

This collection of stories is a restorative tonic for the soul.


The Rest of It:

I am not a fan of short fiction but every now and then I give it a try and usually I am disappointed. That said, I was not disappointed by Forgetting English. In fact, I was so mesmerized by the beauty of the writing that I spent an entire morning on the couch enjoying it. From one story to the next, I found myself completely and utterly absorbed. Each story is so different and yet there are common themes…insecurity, yearning, shame and the need to escape.

My favorite story happens to be the book’s title. Forgetting English and is about a teacher by the name of Paige that has taken a teaching job in Taipei in order to escape her life back home. She befriends Jing-wei in an effort to learn Chinese. Both women have secrets and as their stories unfold, we learn how much their friendship means to one another and how flawed the human spirit can be.

I found myself embracing several other stories as well:

Translation Memory (a married couple grieve in their own way after suffering a loss)
The Road to Hana (a married couple struggle with the realization of what they’ve become, or what they’ve always been)
The Ecstatic Cry (researchers in Antarctica, Empire penguins and the need for human contact)

It’s not often that I tell anyone to go out and get a particular book, but this collection is a real treasure. The writing is effortless and natural and each story, although brief, is very satisfying in the end. This is a great collection to curl-up with. I recommend that you get yourself a copy.

[Marilyn Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

In ten beautifully crafted stories about place and culture, Midge Raymond, in FORGETTING ENGLISH, cleverly explores the difference between, and boundaries defining attraction, relationship and commitment. The characters in each story are far from home, and often estranged from themselves, as they settle, however briefly into these new experiences. In colorful, evocative language, the author takes us along on these individual adventures of the heart, where we cringe and/or smile as her characters develop new insights about themselves and the often tangled webs they create as they teeter precariously between home and “away”. In places as different from each other as Antarctica and Taipei, we are treated to new vistas and unfamiliar cultures, and perhaps gain some insight into what constitutes our own comfort zones.

[Book-a-neer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short stories are not usually my cup of tea but there must have been something about this book for me to put my name down for a bookray a while ago. I have actually forgotten about this and wasn't too keen to start one. But I'm glad I did.

The stories are all about loss and finding your way. I found them quite moving but without all the drama. I think the author wrote this well. Also this didn't feel as disjointed as the other short stories I've read.

[Susan Zoino · Rating 5 out of 5]

I heard Ms. Raymond speak at AWP on a panel about women and travel writing (fiction)and immediately bought the book. I particularly liked the story "Lost Art," but what I liked about all of them was how different each narrator was.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great stories

I forgot what made me purchase this book, but it was surprisingly great. I recommend it for anyone wishing to read more.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a collection of short stories shuffling between many narrators, places and time periods, Midge Raymond’s Forgetting English offers readers vignettes with a common theme: every story involves a stranger in a strange land. Some are suffering identity crises. Others are smarting from relationships gone awry, or preparing for a painful divorce. Some stumble into illicit love affairs while other search desperately for a connection in a frozen wasteland. Regardless of where they start out, how we leave each character is the genius of Raymond’s writing.

Despite having encountered some great ones, I’m still skeptical of short story collections. Masters like Jhumpa Lahiri have created pure magic in Interpreter of Maladies, for example, but I still find myself shying away from the format. But Raymond is making headway on getting me to admit I’m a fan after all.

With ten short stories in her slim but powerful collection, Raymond introduces us to characters who are shaky and broken. I’m not going to mince words here: most of these shorts feature unhappy people searching for something or someone, and none are cheery. But somehow, despite the somber tone, I didn’t feel depressed while reading . . . and as time went on, I came to appreciate the insights into human nature that Raymond offered in spades.

Each story is an exploration of love and loss and longing, and my favorites in the work are the earliest ones: “First Sunday,” “Translation Memory” and “The Ecstatic Cry.” The latter is told from the perspective of a female researcher working with penguins in their natural Antarctic habitat, and her search for a connection — physical; emotional — really resonated with me. No story is more than 15 or 20 pages, but you immediately feel dropped into a scene and tied to the people offering you their moment.

One of Raymond’s talents is the seamless way in which she fluctuates between speakers. Some stories are told in first person, while others shift to third. I’m partial to “I” narratives as a general rule, but the third-person perspective never bothered me. Raymond’s controlled, lovely language drew me in. In “First Sunday,” two estranged sisters are bonded in an unexpected way — and that story is the one I’ve been thinking of most often.

While each individual story seemed like it could spread on for pages, their brevity is what makes Forgetting English powerful. If you’re nervous about trying short stories after a long stint away, Raymond’s work might be a solid reintroduction. With descriptive, interesting prose and unique narratives, her collection — winner of the Spokane Prize for Short Fiction — is thought-provoking and memorable.

[Clifford · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fine collection of short stories (Spokane Prize Winner, published by Press 53). I enjoyed the settings around the world -- Taiwan, Tonga, Antarctica, etc. -- and the great characters. The stories explore fidelity as well as the ties that bind us, drawing us back from attempts to reinvent ourselves. A great read.

Here's a more complete review: Review of Forgetting English

[David Hicks · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfectly wrought collection of stories, the best I've read this year. Raymond deftly brings her sweetly flawed characters to situations where they can screw up, and when they do, we love them all the more.

[Erika Dreifus]

An excellent short story collection. See my detailed review on the Fiction Writers Review site.

[Cathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice collection.

[Maria H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional! Read in an afternoon while at a tiny island resort in Fiji. Perfection

[Andy Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great collection of short stories, to be honest they are better than most stories I read in the bigtime publications like the New Yorker and Best American Short Stories.

The stories are all set overseas and center on a young, independent, and complex women who for a variety of reasons are out of the country. More important, the young women are all interesting and likable.

Her great writing is shown in the first sentence of her first story,First Sunday. "He lives in his mother's house, with no electricity or hot water, yet somehow he always has a steady supply of condoms. That set the stage for the story, a young woman who has just been fired from her high pressured corporate job has come to visit her sister in Tonga. Her sister had gone to Tonga for the Peace Corps and then stayed to live slowly integrating into Tonga's life. The story explores the strained relationship between the sisters and their lives against the contrast with the Tongan people, most notably with Sione, who is introduced in the first sentence

There are other great stories, one of the saddest stories I have ever read was her story about a penguin researcher in Antarctica who meets a man from the one of tour ships that go to Antarctica, a man who is taking the tour alone because his wife just left him. Another story is about a woman going to Asia for her company to make layoff announcements in various Asian offices while her marriage is falling apart and sensing that she may soon be on the receiving end of the layoff conversation.

Anyway, this is a great, great book

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars... A (short) short story collection centered around the theme of travel, or feeling like a foreigner in another country, disconnection, etc. Synopses:

- A career-driven woman visits her sister in Tonga, who has decided to stay after serving there in the Peace Corps.

- A woman joins her husband on a business trip to Japan and regrets her decision to have an abortion.

- A woman studying penguins in the Antarctic finds a lost tourist who was left behind by his cruise ship.

- A couple vacationing in Maui make confessions to each other, and happen upon a pair of newlyweds while swimming at a waterfall.

- A woman who is teaching English in China forges a friendship with a Chinese woman who is teaching her Chinese.

- A businesswoman traveling in Japan and China contemplates her failed marriage.

- A nanny/actress accompanies a family of two spoiled kids (and two spoiled, LA parents) on a vacation to Maui where she meets a local and starts a romance.

- A couple on a safari vacation have, you guessed it, a terrible relationship.

Some things in this collection were pretty unbelievable, like one woman's reaction to the fact that her husband is having an affair. Otherwise, it was a good collection, I really enjoyed reading about the different locations and customs of each place.

[Gayle · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I read a story, I like to go someplace strange, foreign, different. Raymond took me there, many of her stories being set in places like Africa, Japan, Antarctica, Hawaii. And the nice thing about being someplace exotic is discovering the things familiar, which Raymond pulls off with her lovely spare detail. More than visiting places, she charts the terra incognita of human relationships. Every story in this collection is solid, not surprising with a writer who's landed in litmags the rest of us only dream of getting into. I loved the weirdness of Ecstatic Cry--human and geographic topography alike. And the opening sentence in First Sunday was one to die for--a great book-opening sentence as well. The stories are short enough to pass the time on a commute, but will keep you up in bed the same night, one after the other a pleasure to read.

[Kim V · Rating 5 out of 5]

: Forgetting English by Midge Raymond is an exquisite thematic collection of short stories. The stories describe women in exterior and interior transit. The characters face a myriad of crossroads such as, divorce, infidelity, unemployment, abortion, and attempted suicide while a moonlight mile from home.

Each story deftly details the characters’ impact and adaptation to their foreign surroundings. Raymond’s masterful prose transports the reader to various locales including Antarctica, Japan, and Tonga to name a few. Similarly, the author’s keen insights into matters of the psyche gave this reader much to ponder after each story’s coda. Every story in the collection is a like a fine chocolate to be savored, but I especially enjoyed the lyrical prose in “Translation Memory.”

The mixture of characters in crisis in exotic locales made for highly enjoyable reading!

[Jennifer S. Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to preface my comments on this book by letting you know that Midge is a friend of mine; we worked together at Boston University, writing for their alumni publications, and she's an amazing, warm, wonderful person and I adore her writing. So let me say off the bat, this may not be unbiased, but I'm trying.

This collection of stories takes us around the world: Africa, Japan, Antarctica, to name a few. But the locations are merely flavor; the heart of these stories are the relationships between the people, between men and women. The settings are extraordinary and provide color and beauty. The relationships are complex and fully realized. Midge's writing doesn't disappoint and I highly recommend her collection of stories.

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a 4.5 star review.

I LOVED this short story collection. Loved.

Each story is a travel experience to somewhere different, and each person is at a turning point in his/her life. I really enjoyed that continuing theme throughout the story collection, but also that the stories are quite different.

I would LOVE to see ANY of these stories lengthened to a novel if Ms. Raymond decided to go that route. I do indeed feel that she embodies her characters well, I'm not saying that she doesn't flesh them out well--just that I would love to hear more. She leaves the reader (at least me) hungry for the backstory, and where the characters are headed.

Great writing, great storytelling. I hope to read more of Ms. Raymond soon!

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my very first, First-Reads book from Goodreads. That made it very exciting. Inside was a personal note from the author. The writing style of this book is lovely. Each of her short stories flow beauitfully, even though the point-of-views and styles are all different. The stories are tales of women who are trying their best to deal with challenges in life. Most of the stories include some sexual mishap, which I don't really approve of, but I felt like that was just an add-on to the underlying message. I felt like the true message of these stories is going out and finding yourself. Life is rough and sometimes you need to forget yourself to remember who your are. Good book. I would recommend it.

[Nic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Midge is a dear friend and I'm so thrilled her first collection looks so good. But what I've learned since actually opening the book is that she is an incredibly good writer - and these stories really take you to exotic locales, while probing the heart of what makes us us. A marvelous read!

For me, the test of a great short story is whether it sticks to the roof of your brain. Is it memorable? I'm delighted to report that so many of these stories are real gems.

Midge teaches in Seattle, Washington at Victor Hugo House and if you're lucky enough to live there, and want to become a better writer, she is a fabulous teacher who is very accessible and who I highly recommend.

[Amy Hourigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in one day, neglecting my job, my husband and my children. The stories, which were completely different (either this author is extremely well-traveled or she has a fantastic imagination) sucked me right in. I was laughing out lound in parts and fighting back tears in others. I hope to read more from this author. Any one of these stories would make a great novel or novella. I ended each story wanting to know more about the characters' lives. Not since Jumpa Lahiri have I enjoyed a book of stories so much.

[Alison Madden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not stop turning the pages of this book. This collection of stories is a real page-turner. I wanted to read one story per night, and pace myself, instead I kept going and going to find out what was going to happen to the characters in each story. I love travel too, and new perspectives of different cities and countries, so I loved this collection of stories set in different far-off places!

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really compelling collection of stories, especially for anyone who has ever had experience traveling or living abroad. It captures a lot of the simultaneous comfort and discomfort of isolation. The characters are terribly imperfect but even at their worst (sometimes especially at their worst), I found I could sympathize.

[Wendy]

I loved this book so much that I bought copies as Christmas gifts for several friends and family members. It was a very diverse group of folk who received the books and they all loved it. I'm looking forward to teaching this book in a "Contemporary Literature" course I'm taeching at Pacific Lutheran University in early 2012.

[William Freeman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very well written and well crafted book of short stories. My problem with this was that many of the main characters were high achievers in there profession but turned out to be failures in many other aspects. I got the under current feeling that it was saying you can't have a high powered job abd a good personal life at the same time. Feminists may struggle with this.

[Carmen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well-written stories that draw you in, with very flawed characters (why does everyone have to be cheating?). A few of which I cared about, a few of which I didn't. If you like short stories, this is a good quick read.

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book of short stories. An especially enjoyable summer read. You get great glimpses of traveling the world as a back drop for these interesting stories about interesting women.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

check out my review here: http://www.examiner.com/x-1361-Seattl...