WINNER OF THE 2023 RELIT AWARD FOR SHORT FICTION
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2023 INDIGENOUS VOICES AWARDS
LONGLISTED FOR THE 2023 CAROL SHIELDS PRIZE
For fans of Chuck Palahniuk, Joyce Carol Oates, and Karen Russell, the stories in Francine Cunningham’s debut collection God Isn’t Here Today ricochet between form and genre, taking readers on a dark, irreverent, yet poignant journey led by a unique and powerful new voice.
Driven by desperation into moments of transformation, Cunningham’s characters are presented with moments of choice—some for the better and some for the worse. A young man goes to God’s office downtown for advice; a woman discovers she is the last human on Earth; an ice cream vendor is driven insane by his truck’s song; an ageing stripper uses undergarments to enact her escape plan; an incubus tires of his professional grind; and a young woman inherits a power that has survived genocide, but comes with a burden of its own.
Even as they flirt with the fantastic, Cunningham’s stories unfold with the innate elegance of a spring fern, reminding us of the inherent dualities in human nature—and that redemption can arise where we least expect it.
Praise for God Isn't Here Today:
"This is a
fierce collection: fiercely smart, fiercely funny, fiercely inventive.
Francine Cunningham takes the reader from strip clubs to God’s waiting
room, from a tormented ice cream truck driver to a bored ghost with
career aspirations. This collection almost reads like a novel, as the
characters move in and out of each other’s stories—sometimes solo,
sometimes in chorus—spilling out their tormented, glorious, messy lives
to the lucky, greedy reader."—Annabel Lyon, author of Consent
"The stories in God Isn’t Here Today reveal
Francine Cunningham as a gimlet eye observer of humanity, with
boundless empathy and a searing sense of humour. The prose is intimate
and direct, like an honest best friend breathlessly telling all, while
embarking on formal experimentation that guides the reader through the
grand possibilities of fiction."—Doretta Lau, author of How Does a Single Blade of Grass Thank the Sun?
"'Pornorama,'
'Spectre Sex,' 'Mickey’s Bar': these Francine Cunningham stories pop
and pull my heart out. In her first collection, God Isn’t Here Today, the Goddess is most definitely here. An essential new voice."—Linda Svedsen, author of Sussex Drive: a novel
"God Isn't Here Today
is a collection, I feel, that is whispered in the calligraphy of
ghosts. Cunningham continues to both astound and haunt all who discover
her. Wow!"—Richard Van Camp, author of The Lesser Blessed
Praise for Francine Cunningham:
"A
humorous and compelling piece on the art of conviction and
manipulation, both binaries were excused in two different voices that
belonged to the same person. The voice of the unconvinced guru as he
succeeds in amassing a following was simultaneously profound in its
social commentary and comedic in its doubts."—Rawi Hage, author of De Niro's Game and Beirut Hellfire Society on the story "Starting a Religion"
"Reading Francine Cunningham’s 'Complex 2675' reminded me of Twin Peaks:
dark and surreal, with high emotional stakes edging on satire, and
intense visuals... I recommend reading it with the slow pacing those old
nineties TV shows had, and a sense of weird foreboding."—Carleigh Baker, author of Bad Endings
