As soon as I started reading Nalo Hopkinson's short story "The Reverse Cheshire Cat" (freely available to read online), the name "Loyola" jumped out at me. Surely this must be a reference to Ignatius of Loyola, a Catholic saint and the founder of the Jesuit order. There are a lot of things called Loyola in the world, but I'd wager nearly all of those were named after him, mostly by Jesuits.

But what's the relevance of Ignatius of Loyola to this short story? Why name the main character after him? I don't get the connection.

Your Answer


Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.