I didn't really find this book all that interesting and appealing, although it wasn't that badly written. Basically the stories deal with prostitution and sexuality, and are influenced by the author's own experiences as a child-prostitute. Her writing was a big thing on the Canadian literature scene a while back, her being relatively young when her first works were published. If you want to sample her writing, I guess this is a good place to start; the book is relatively easy to find secondhand and is pretty short. Should only take an hour or two to read.

I first became aware of Evelyn Lau after reading an excerpt of Fresh Girls on a website, and I loved it. I ordered the book immediately. All the stories in it are written with such a real quality to them. She makes things seem intensely beautiful, no matter what. She makes you see the beauty in something with her words and the way she uses them. "Mercy" is by far, my favorite story in this.

this was such a great book. I first saw this book at a friends house and proceeded to pick it up. I was drawn in, and couldn't put it down. I had trouble finding it, but I odered it and It took me a few hours to read it from start to finish. I can't tell you how wonderful and exiting it was to read about someone who has a liking for s and m and related material. I found that I really related to this book, especially for someone who deals with depression every day. Lau is a great writer and I plan on buying all of her books. Highly reccommended, but as a warning, it does contain explcit material.

The novel, Other Women, illustrates the pathetic situation of a single woman's unrequited love for a married man. Fiona, a young twenty-something artist meets a married man, Raymond, a powerful and socially prominent CEO who is old enough to be her father. His business deals require him to travel often, and the two of them begin a year or two of meetings in various hotels in different cities and in Fiona's apartment.

Raymond never considers their relationship as anything more than a diversion. To him she is just as a playmate. Much of the physical intimacy they have is more like that of a prostitute and john, not like lovers. Early on in the relationship he even asked her if she had found a man yet. Raymond tells her how much he loves his wife. Fiona has fallen so hard and so deep for the man that she ignores these and other many other negative signals. Later, after Raymond tells her point blank that he will never leave his wife, she still persists.

Once Fiona understands the importance of Raymond's wife to him, she becomes obsessed with her. This is because Fiona wants to be her. In her fantasies she physically destroys Raymond's wife so she can take his place.

The book has a very poetic feel. The style is slightly reminiscent of a journal, in a good way. Much of it is in the present tense. Much of what Fiona says toward or about Raymond is said in his absence, in the second person. It suggests an inner dialogue. It is as if the affair was in the past and Fiona is reliving it emotionally. In the beginning of the book, the style seems a little awkward, but the frequent images and metaphors are consistently excellent and carry the reader very well. The use of the second person in addressing Raymond works very well also. Past the mid-point of the book, I felt impelled to find out how Fiona's situation would get resolved.

At the beginning of the story, in my mind, I condemned Fiona for her lack of ethics and poor judgement. But mid-way through I began to have some sympathize for her, as it became clear she was a prisoner of her own emotions. Eventually, the almost unendurable pain forces Fiona to face the reality of the situation. Once she accepted it, her infatuation broke. What more can we expect from a person than to learn from their experiences?

The reason I still have not changed my mind about Lau's talent even after long since she came out as a former runaway-a child hooker was her frightening greed for language, period. That is what makes her work transcend every category she could fall in and makes it more universal. It is universal, indeed.
In Other Women, I was entirely amazed by her tanacious observation and staying power to translate the almost physically brutal pang of loving somebody who is beyond her reach into the art of language. As usual, she possesses the gesture of the proud masochist, which has been her turf. I often suspected if it is the stance she had developed out of the helplessness in her childhood/teenage days with no choice. She seemed to be growing into such a complexed young woman who'd get mixed up with paternal protection and manly affection of which she did not know to seek after. That is what caused the fatal obsession Fiona had with Raymond.
The way Fiona fell and got desperate was precisely described and examined by the prose that made every trivial scene appear different and fresh, even the cliche of affair an older man who never leaves his marriage could have counting on some kind of fidelity of a young woman who is drowning in the emotion.
Even the cruelty was beautifully woven by her poetic and poised art of language. The highlight of the whole novel, however, was the shocking disclosure of the fact how lonely and unsatisfied people are, no matter who you are, men, women, married and unmarried. The discovery was solely attributed to the persepective of Lau's, who's distanced from the regular social structure, this time, marriage. Contemplating on being a mistress and taking a close look at marriage from outside the institution that regulates people's desire gave the work the enormous insight that reveals the puzzlement almost everybody seems to experience behind the content front, including the author herself.
I have got the impression that Lau might be the kind of writer who gets oneself burned to see and know what it feels like just to write it real. This is the work the guts resulted. It is the valuable documentation of the modern day theme we are doomed to face; Alienation is universal. Lau never falied to report it with grace and brutality of her art of suffering.

My friend sent me this book a few days ago. I opened it's pages and begin to read. I began relating to this character, and seeing her as myself for a bit there. I felt like I was inside this story. Fiona, the main character or main character emphasis--is a desperate woman in love with a married man. Not totally unbelieveable...it happens everyday. The narraitve voice Evelyn Lau takes as this character is very vivid and honest.

this is a very alive, and hip piece of new age writing. It surpasses most fiction, mainly because it has a emotional fixation with the reader, you are either angry, depressed, happy or totally miffed at the aftions of each character. Raymond, Fiona's love whom is married, will not leave his wife of 15 years for Fiona and woman he has never even sexual intercourse with.

Fiona in a desperate attempt to persue Raymond and make her dream of eternal love with him ends up becoming an alcoholic...she spends most of hert time doting and thinking of him. Every man she sees reminds her of Raymond...nothing wrong with that. Is it mere obsession or real love? Who knows...I won't tell my opinion...

The lyrical aspect of each sentence keeps you engrossed the whole time, and you almost want more when you finish. i loved her wording, and her narritive voice...very powerful and different I must say!

These stories of impossible loves (classic eternal triangles) are not very original.
They are written in a poetic language, but there are sometimes too many and overdone comparisons or metaphors.
Not a compelling read.

Evelyn Lau is an incredibly intense and fascinating writer. Her words bring you closer into the character's thoughts, feelings, and actions. An amazing writer that should be cherished! From her first book "Runaway: Diary of a Street Kid" to her multiple collections of short stories, she is incredible! A must for anyone who wants to truly feel what another person is feeling. AMAZING!

Most people have disturbing sexual experiences some times in thier lifes and yes, Everlyn Lau's were worse than most. Men do treat women with disrespect and being the other woman is no fun. Although, I agree with all those premises, and agree that these topics should be explored in poetry, I cannot condone talking about it over and over and over again in the same collection.

If everlyn condenced some of these poems with similar ideas into longer ones, and stopped revisiting the same topics throughout the whole book, I think she could be a good poet. For this collection, she is an immature writer, lacking in experience, and different perspective. Apart from the henious experience she lived through on the streets, that somehow must have -in the Canadian Literary scene- gained her sympathy points, I cannot understand why she is hailed as such a celebrated writer. Decent: yes, great: no.

Evelyn writes about her days on the streets and as a prostitute. She hates men, judging by these poems,and judging from her "Diary of a Street Kid" she hates herself, and is self-destructive and self-absorbed at the same time. Kind of hard to figure. But she is a good writer; bright with obvious talent. I just wish she would fall in love, and write some less disturbing poetry.

i love the way she writes about dark subjects, which range from adultery to child abuse...she tries on many masks in her poetry and they are always breathtaking. she is gifted with imagery and many of the poems i could see as clear as paintings as i was reading them. you have a right to criticize her, but i wonder could you do any better? i doubt it. they registered strongly with me on an emotional level. i love artists who dont let political correctness influence their work. evelyn is also a fine novelist, too...

Ok I tried 3 times to read this book but ended up totally bored with it(this is rare). I work with many kids on the street, their stories are more intersting for book form. I admit Lau is a good writer.....but it really lacked something..... maybe the pull to stop me from yawning!

It's several years now since Evelyn Lau wrote this book and she's gone on to write more great stuff! Having just heard and seen her speak at a Writers Festival in Australia, I can assure the doubters that she would indeed have written every word of Runaway. She remains passionately addicted to her writing and this passion has continued to affect her life. Have a look at "Inside Out : Reflections on a Life So Far ".

First of all, I'm horrified to see what some of the other people put in here about Runaway. I have the utmost admiration for Evelyn Lau because she had to struggle to get out of hooking and drug use. This book is very depressing but it's a reflect of a real human being's experiences, not a fictional chracter. As a non-white person growing up in Canada, I can understand the pressures that she had to conform to the society around her while trying to balance the messages that she got from home. There are no role models for people like us and there's often no one to talk to who can truly understand what it's like to be a visible minority, unless they have gone through the experience themselves. I think that's changing now, but that support wasn't available for minorities growing up in the 70s, 80s and early 90s.

There are very few exceptional people in this world and I think that Evelyn Lau is one of those people. She had to make her own values and create her own niche for herself and made a lot of mistakes doing it. But, she wasn't afraid to tell the world about them and help others learn from her mistakes.