A Funny Kind of Paradise

by Jo Owens

  “Break Don’t Bend,” Quote:

  this song is for Chris, just trying to get through another day.

  “Burdensome,” Quote:

  there are times when Fran feels like a bug pinned to a felt board and she’d do anything to squirm away.

  “I’ve Got You under My Skin,” Cole Porter and Lou Rawls:

  Michiko sings this to Mary. I particularly love the Lou Rawls version because it adds a little touch of lightness to a song that almost borders on obsession, and I like to think of Michiko as a leavening element in Fran’s life.

  “No, Not Much,” The Four Lads:

  another one of Michi the Tattooed Vegan Warrior’s favourite oldies.

  “Bitter Sweet Symphony,” The Verve:

  no matter how long I work in extended care, death is still hard, still bittersweet. It’s never easy. Besides, I just plain like this song.

  “Catabolysis,” Ueda Kurou (Quote):

  “I hope you can’t tell how much I want you to like me.”

  I played this for Lily, hoping she’d find her love.

  “Our House,” Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young:

  any house that has Ruby in it is going to be a very fine house.

  “Help Yourself,” Amy Winehouse:

  Chris choosing counselling. Good work, Chris! So proud of you.

  “This Flight Tonight,” Nazareth:

  the beat in this song is the beat in Fran’s head whenever she can’t make herself understood.

  “As Good a Time as Any,” Ueda Kurou (Quote):

  this song is for Fran because she’s making a really difficult and conflicted journey, as is the person in this song.

  “Hooked on a Feeling,” Blue Swede:

  a schmaltzy love song for the couples at the end of this book.

  JO OWENS lives in Victoria, B.C. She has worked as a health care aide for twenty years. A Funny Kind of Paradise is her first novel.