Category: Literary Fiction.

Book Review: These Ghosts are Family by Maisy Card

When a book opens with a family tree, you can expect a few things; there will be many characters, there will be drama, and you will have to refer back to said family tree throughout the book to ground yourself in what’s going on. If any of those things...

Book Review: Bina by Anakana Schofield

The last thing anyone wants to hear right now is a warning. Haven’t we had enough of those? Even our traffic signs are being switched over to reminders about good hand hygiene. Although I agree this is all necessary, I’ve reached my limit of cautionary...

Book Review: The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

I’m reminded of a particular quote: “This might hurt a little. Be brave.” when I think of The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead. That sentence appears at the beginning of Megan Gail Coles’ book Small Game Hunting, but it’s all too...

Book Review: The Empress of Idaho by Todd Babiak

A staple of the Alberta book scene, Todd Babiak is a familiar name to most. In addition to his talents as a writer, he is quite simply, a very funny person. He hosted the Alberta Literary Awards a few years ago, keeping the audience laughing throughout, and believe...

Book Review: The Farm by Joanne Ramos

I had wanted to read this book for awhile now, and when I saw the author speak at a Wordfest event earlier this year I was struck by how eloquent and honest she was, which finally convinced me to pick it up. Joanne Ramos immigrated to America from the Philippines when...

Book Review: Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellmann

This review has been a long time coming. Not because I’ve put off writing it, but because it took me so bloody long to read this book: two whole months which is definitely a record for me. At 988 pages, many of those pages including just one long run-on...