A heart-breaking story of a childhood in the remote Charlevoix region of Quebec that features isolation and alienation, resulting in profound gender dysphoria and eventually a trans-feminine transition. The story provides insight into the realization that one can be assigned the wrong gender at birth. As a consequence, a childhood and adolescence become particularly turbulent as the protagonist searches for a path of self-discovery.
Category: Location / Setting
Roaming – Jillian and Mariko Tamaki
The Tamaki cousins have created a brilliant graphic novel about 5 days in New York city in 2009, experienced by three 19-year-old Canadian women. Initial euphoria is tempered by reality as friendships are tested. Overall, an immersive slice-of-life, in part a love letter to a great city. This book was a chance discovery at the October Word Fest, a true find.
Moon of the Turning Leaves – Waubgeshig Rice
In this sequel to the excellent Moon of the Crusted Snow, 12 years have passed since a mysterious cataclysm produced a total blackout. Now, six Indigenous members of a remote northern community journey 500 km south to their original location on the north shore of Georgian Bay. How will anarchy shape their journey? This is a compelling story of resilience and survival that is reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy’s brilliant account of a post-apocalyptic journey in The Road. Highly recommended.
The Spoon Stealer – Lesley Crewe
Be advised: this is an emotional tear-jerker so have tissues nearby, especially for the end of the story. The book is presented in two parts. In 1968, 74-year-old Emmaline reads her poignant life story to a group of English women as part of a memoir-writing class. In the second half, Emmaline returns to Nova Scotia to confront her fractured family. Her personality is a fascinating blend of brassiness and abrasiveness, but also generosity. The core of the story, however, is friendship between women.
Britt-Marie Was Here – Fredrik Backman
Britt-Amarie is a 63-year-old who leaves her husband to take a temporary job in a small town, in an attempt to (re)gain some self-esteem. She is a somewhat odd character (think of A Man Called Ove, also by Backman), told that she is passive-aggressive and socially incompetent. What kind of impact can she make in a town of fellow misfits? Backman’s insight into human nature is profound, making this such an enjoyable read. Thans Amy, for giving me this book.
Silver Nitrate – Silvia Moreno-Garcia
The setting – Mexico City in the early 90s. Monserat, a film editor, and her actor friend Tristan meet Abel, a film director whose last film was unreleased in 1961. Can merging of sound and visuals (runes) with silver nitrate film be a conduit for spells? Can an un-released film produce bad luck? Can a spell be undone? Moreno-Garcias’s latest horror book reminds me of her brilliant Mexican Gothic.
The Observer – Marina Endicott
Full disclosure: this is a great book that deals frankly with some unpleasant subjects. Julia accompanies her partner Hardy to his first RCMP posting in Northern Alberta. Julia is a keen observer of life, especially relationships. She is also a silent witness to Hardy’s descent into depression and PTSD. There is a strong element of fear and menace that is truly frightening. Powerful writing and very worthwhile.
1979 – Val McDermid
Context is everything in this gritty crime story: Glasgow in 1979, with investigative journalists working in a newsroom filled with cigarette smoke and the din of typewriters. Tax avoidance with greed and Scottish ultra-nationalists are the nasty villains. A totally entertaining story with an appendix with a top-40 list of music from 1979. Thanks Amy, for this recommendation by the acclaimed “Queen of crime” writer.
The Fraud – Zadie Smith
And now for something entirely different: Ms. Smith has written a fantastic novel of historical fiction. The central character, Mrs. Eliza Touchet, is an acid-tongued spinster with abolitionist views, who moves in with her cousin in the 1840s, the hapless writer William Ainsworth, and lives with him for the next 30 years. England is captivated by the Tichborne Affair, in which Arthur Orton, a lower-class butcher from Australia, claims to be Sir Roger Tichborne and thus heir to a sizable estate (ant title). His outrageous claim results in two lengthy trials where a Black Jamaican, Andre Bogle, supports the claim. What is truth in a world of hypocrisy and self-deception? Overall, the writing is rich and detailed, a joy to read.
What David Read 