Author: AJ

Beaver Hills Forever – Conor Kerr

The author of Prairie Edge has now written a short Metis poetic novella. The are alternating poetic verses/pages of four Indigenous voices, two women (Baby Momma, Aunty Prof) and two men (Buddy, Fancy University Boy). A dominant theme is the constraints imposed on Metis people from institutional whiteness, class and even delusions of grandeur. The writing is funny and heartfelt, with an uncompromising focus.

Note from Amy: I read this too, and fell deeply in love with the complications of life, and the way that Conor Kerr wrote his short poetic prose

What We Can Know – Ian McEwan

This is one of McEwan’s best books, one that should be read slowly to savour his exceptional writing. In 2014, an acclaimed poet reads a new poem dedicated to his wife on her birthday, at a dinner party in England. But the poem is never published and so is lost. Over the next 100 years, the world undergoes a collapse of civilization with cataclysmic climate change exacerbated by nuclear wars. So in 2119, an academic in a Humanities Department discovers an astonishing clue in surviving archives. Thus a literary thriller about life and love provides profound insight into human nature.

Bury Our Bones In The Midnight Soil – V.E. Schwab

Ms. Schwab (author of the fantastic The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue) has created an epic story of three women vampires that unfolds over 500 years! Of course, there is graphic blood lust and killing, but also interesting group dynamics, learned restraint, and conflicted love. Thus there is both monstrosity and humanity; a haunting and worthwhile story about cruelty, grace, jealousy and yes, immortality. Finally, this story of three vampires in contemporary Boston evolves into a pursuit thriller. Truly, a must-read book that I could not put down, so highly recommended.

The City And Its Uncertain Walls – Haruki Murakami

Full disclosure: I have a conflicted response to Murakami’s writing, only loving some books like the brilliant 1Q84. Happily, this new book definitely belongs in the great must-read category. This review is necessarily enigmatic because of magic realism content. Can different worlds like a walled-in town with unicorns co-exist with the natural world? Can a shadow and a real person be separated and trade roles? Overall, the story is a fantastical quest, and an ode to love, loss and yearning. And yes, there are dreams and books and libraries!

My Name Is Emilia Del Valle – Isabel Allende

Another excellent novel of historical fiction by Ms. Allende. Emilia is born in San Francisco in 1886 after her Irish mother was abandoned after a brief affair with a Chilean aristocrat. She grows up to become a strong self-sufficient young woman and an independent thinker. She begins to write pulp fiction and then turns to journalism, all using a male pen name. In 1891, she travels to Chile and becomes embroiled in a brutal civil war. Her war experiences are truly harrowing; overall, this novel is spellbinding.

The Tiger And The Cosmonaut – Eddy Boudel

This Giller short-listed story is set in a remote area of the Sunshine Coast in BC. Three adult children return to their hometown when their father goes missing. Is this an early stage of dementia, or something else? The siblings must also confront the mystery of a missing brother from more than 20 years ago. This is an emotional story of identity in the face of secrets. There is also underlying violence and meanness that is unsettling, both in the past and now in the present. Overall, an unforgettable tale of survival and unspoken love.

A Truce That Is Not Peace – Miriam Toews

This exceptional book is hard to describe – a stream-of-consciousness memoir, perhaps, featuring electrifying honesty. There are questions like why does she write? There are letters to a silent sister. And there is profound melancholy when acknowledging the suicides of her father and sister (Page 31: “I was crazy with grief, guilt and dread”). But there are very funny excerpts about a European trip in 1988, and hilarious observations about the current domestic life in her multi-generational Toronto home. Bottom line- this is a powerful story that is both heart wrenching and joyful, in other words, Ms. Toews at her best.

Pick A Colour – Souvankham Thammavongsa

Remarkably, this first novel has been Giller short-listed. Importantly, there is much left unsaid in this accounting of a single day in a Nail Salon in an unnamed city. The three manicurists speak an unnamed language that allows them to talk and gossip freely about their clients. The owner Ning is an self-contained observer, so there is a seductive intimacy to common events. Overall, masterful writing as one might anticipate from a former Giller winner for short stories (How To Pronounce Knife).

Lullabies For Little Criminals – Heather O’Neill

This is Ms. O’Neill’s first novel, written almost 20 years ago and winner of Canada Reads in 2007. Baby is a 12-13-year-old girl living in Montreal with her single father Jules who is entirely irresponsible. Thus, O’Neill captures the exuberance of youth, with some breathtaking bad choices and the absolute lack of a moral compass. This is really a story of a life on the street, completely without self pity. Be advised: this is a gritty story with danger and extreme cruelties, and some sickening realities of feral children and their reckless decisions. A must read.