Helen is an extremely efficient butler to a super-rich couple in Vancouver. Her calm demeanor is enhanced because she is a practising Buddhist. Helen is “loaned” to help a young woman, an internet influencer, get her life in order. Helen is reluctantly exposed to the toxic work of social media, and then there are murders. Helen’s ability to be a calm observer is tested by people without sound judgement. And finally, the setting is contemporaryy Vancouver and a ranch in BC’s interior. Often hilarious because of contrasting lifestyles, this is a pleasant read.
Category: British Columbia
The Double Life of Benson Yu – Kevin Chong
The author of the prescient The Plague has now written an inventive story of metafiction. The narrator/author creates a fictional version of himself as 12-year-old Benny living in 1980s Vancouver Chinatown. Accordingly, there is a blend of reality and invention. What if the author loses control of the narrative? Consequently, the story is often confusing because of two timelines, and thus can be frustrating. Some complex themes of child sexual abuse and suicidal ideation abound. This original story is deservedly on the Giller long-list.
East Side Story – Growing Up At The PNE – Nick Marino
This is a sentimental history of the Pacific National Exhibition site, in particular its working class East Side aesthetic. The story is based on personal experiences as a summer employee at the fairground as a 12–17-year-old, plus interviews to obtain anecdotes and historical information about the 17 days of the fair, plus year-round Playland activity and sporting events and concerts at the Empire Stadium and Coliseum. Overall, the PNE was a place for scammers and dreamers.
Junie – Chelene Knight
First, the context: East-end Vancouver from 1933-39, an area called Hogan’s Alley which is home to Black and immigrant communities. At its core, this brilliant book is about complex mother-daughter relationships: Junie and her jazz singer mother Maddie, and Estelle and her mother Faye. As Junie progresses from age 13-19, her artistic talents bloom despite a disquieting reality. Thanks Amy, for this recommendation: highly recommended.
Bad Cree – Jessica Johns
This remarkable debut novel is all about Indigenous women. Mackenzie is a young Cree woman living in Vancouver, but darkness dreams drive her to return to her home on High Prairie, Alberta, in part to confront her unprocessed grief over the death of her older sister. Can spirits visit people in their dreams? Can evil entities feed off the hurt, isolated and grieving? This is both a masterful mystery and horror story that will forever change your appreciation of the phrase “murder of crows”. Highly recommended.
Astra – Cedar Bowers
This is a very fine relationship book. Astra has had an unconventional childhood on a BC commune, essentially growing up without security or love. This creates a defensive and needy personality, someone who is defined by her relationships. Thus, each chapter is presented from the point-of-view of 10 people who interact with her. Excellent storytelling.
Sea of Tranquility – Emily St. John Mandel
Another brilliant book by Ms. Mandel, a sweeping epic that spans from Vancouver Island in 1912 to a moon colony in 2401. Intriguingly, there are links to Mandel’s previous novel, The Glass Hotel, and to post-pandemic literature in general. And there is an author on a book tour and a time traveller. Absorbing and immersive, this is a fantastic futuristic novel that eerily captures our current reality. Highly recommended.
Forest Green – Kate Pullinger
A story of Art Lunn in different BC locations. His life is defined by a tragic incident at 8 years of age, which he blames himself for the rest of his life. Consequently, he is unable to make commitments to other people, and descends into alcoholism and eventual homelessness, an acute example of how early trauma can initiate a life-long feeling of worthlessness. Actually, the story is less depressing than the above description implies, so worth a read.
Five Little Indians – Michelle Good
A graphic and powerful story of five indigernous children who have experienced Residential Schools, especially the aftermath on their post-school lives. Some tragic endings, some examples of resilience. This book should be assigned reading for those who dismiss the Residential School tragedy and for those who acknowledge hardship but then suggest that “survivors” should just get over it.
What David Read 