Inland Passage and Other Stories is a collection of twenty-two short stories by Jane Rule. Set in a conservatively romantic background of people traveling aboard a ship through the inland passage as they discover their inner selves. The tales are filled with tenderness as they address different forms of relationships between people.
The collection is immensely enjoyable and the readers take a liking to the characters pretty quickly given their endearment. Inland Passage is not a complicated collection, all the stories seem to revolve around how humans interact with one another and develop these transformative relationships that alter who they are as people.
Whether the relationship is between man and woman, woman and woman, adult and child, the author makes it her mission to represent relationships of all nature. She tries to offer an understanding of why humans need companionship for survival. Human emotions are key in this collection that challenges how people feel and understand that feeling.
Dulce is the story of an extremely multi-faceted woman. She goes against societal rules as she juggles being a muse, prostitute, witch, lesbian, and a mother. She is so influential among those closest to her. Dulce has an everlasting effect on the people close to her as she manipulates and deceives to get what she wants. His Not Hers uncovers the unsettling truths about how a matrimonial bond can unravel with unexpected consequences. The Real World, A Matter of Numbers, and Inland Passage explore the huddles of creating and maintaining unconventional relationships in the face of adversity.
