• Radium Girl

Radium Girl

by Sofi Papamarko

May 1, 2021 | ISBN 978-1-989496-26-8 | 182 Pages

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Radium Girl is a collection full of dark wonder that explores the boundaries of love, death, loneliness and justice. In these twelve deft stories, Sofi Papamarko introduces a cast of unforgettable characters: Margie and Lu, teenaged conjoined twins; Rosie who cruises funerals; Pete the predatory magician; the subconscious mind of Marie Curie; Elda the Radium Girl and many more. With pitch-perfect writing, Papamarko shows us how human beings cope, break and triumph in the face of often unbearable circumstances. 

Advance Praise

“The stories in Radium Girl are majestic, thought-provoking worlds unto themselves, full of wit, humour, big ideas and superlative writing. If there’s any justice in the world, Sofi Papamarko’s brilliant creations will find a wide, dare I say viral, audience not only amongst aficionados of the short story form, but readers of all stripes.” 
– Andrew David MacDonald, author of When We Were Vikings

“So many of these stories lingered with me, whispering in my ear long after I’d finished reading them. They unsettled and alarmed me. Some characters in Radium Girl are trapped in unbearable circumstances. Others say or do upsetting things, or think disturbing thoughts. But Sofi Papamarko has an enormous heart, so she manages – skillfully, tenderly, magically, and with fierce humour – to reveal the deep, yearning humanity in everyone within these pages.”
– Jessica Westhead, author of Worry and Things Not to Do

“Sofi Papamarko is a brilliant observer of her world.”
– Dennis Bock, author of Going Home Again and The Ash Garden

Excerpt

Click here to read an excerpt of Radium Girl.

    • **Finalist for the 2023 Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize for Speculative Fiction**
    • **Gold Winner of the 2021 Foreword INDIES Award for Short Stories**
    • **Shortlisted for the 2022 ReLit Award for Short Fiction**

    • Ep. #697: Sofi Papamarko (Vish Khanna, Kreative Kontrol, 28/06/2022)
      Sofi talks to Vish Khanna about her award-winning short story collection, life as a new mom in Toronto during a pandemic, our friend Jordan Howard, whether or not she was ever a journalist, dating and matchmaking, Honest Ed’s and allegories, human behaviour, writing a novel, future plans and more.
    • Surprisingly Dark Moments (Bruce Geddes, Prism international, 02/09/2021)
      "Radium Girl is Sofi Papamarko’s debut collection of short stories, exploring themes of loneliness and alienation, and women reclaiming their power. What follows is a conversation between Sofi and Bruce Geddes about vengeance, flawed characters, and the inspirations behind the collection."
    • E244 with SOFI PAPAMARKO (Jamie Tennant, Get Lit, 22/07/2021)
      Jamie Tennant and Sofi Papamarko talk about her book, Radium Girl.
    • July Book Talk: Sofi Papamarko (The Word on the Street, 17/07/2021)
      Watch the Word on the Street's July Book Talk with author Sofi Papamarko in conversation with fellow author and friend Jessica Westhead.
    • "Their Story is Already Complete" Sofi Papamarko on Commitment in Short Fiction and Writing the Outsider (Open Book, 08/06/2021)
      Sofi talks about how and why "Radium Girl" became the collection's title story, what the very different characters in each of her stories have in common with each other and how she researched the real-life counterparts who inspired her characters.
    • 12 or 20 (second series) questions with Sofi Papamarko (rob mclennan's blog, 02/06/2021)
      "I'm a bit of a commitment-phobe when it comes to writing, so short stories have been my comfort zone."

  • Sofi Papamarko is a former regular columnist for The Toronto Star, Sun Media Newspapers and Metro Canada. She’s also written for The Globe & Mail, Chatelaine, Flare, CBC, Reader’s Digest, Salon, Exclaim! and many other publications, both living and dead. Her short stories have appeared in Taddle Creek, Maisonneuve, Room and The Toronto Star. She lives in Toronto with her partner and his son.