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Heather O'Neill on teaching little girls to be loud

Celebrated Montreal writer Heather O'Neill is back with a new book of short stories, Daydreams of Angels, and a roster of unconventional female characters.
Heather O'Neill (Lullabies for Little Criminals, The Girl who was Saturday Night) is one of Canada's most original writers. (Julia C. Vona)

Have you ever met a girl who reminds you of the skeptical Herman Melville or sexual libertine Marquis de Sade?

Well, you'll meet both in Heather O'Neill's new collection of short stories, Daydreams of Angels. The Montreal writer has dazzled readers and critics alike with novels like Canada Reads winner Lullabies for Little Criminals and Giller Prize finalist The Girl who was Saturday Night

She joins Shad to discuss a major theme in her work: how gendered expectations limit the lives of young women, and why she thinks it's time to lift the protective gauze off girlhood.