Book Review: Senior Moment by Monica Graham

By Robyn Rossit

Senior Moment by Monica Graham is the true story of her experience with an elderly parent who has a rapidly declining memory and navigating the long-term care system. As someone who has a grandparent in long-term care, this book certainly gave me a deeper appreciation for what my parents have gone through over the past couple of years.

When Monica's mother starts showing signs of memory loss and confusion, the process of finding a safe place for her to live began, as well as the process of purging several decades worth of belongings to get the family home ready to sell. To top it off, Monica's mother, understandably, changed her mind frequently about whether or not she was ready to move into a long-term care facility.

Through the ups and downs, the clearest theme of all is how much Monica loves her mother. Even when things were at their worst, ensuring her mother was happy and comfortable always came through as the highest priority. Her stories are full of heart, but also a healthy amount of wit that made this book a page-turner. Senior Moment certainly had me feeling a wide range of emotions, but more often than not, I was grinning.

Given that Senior Moment was published this year, Monica also speaks to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on long-term care facilities and her experience during this time. It gave an even more timely and relevant aspect to the story. 

Senior Moment contains a lot of resources and tips for navigating the world of long-term care, as well as information about memory loss and dementia. While some of the information is specific to Atlantic Canada, it gives the reader an idea of what is available. While it certainly can be seen as a comforting read, it is also quite informative in an easy to digest way.

Overall, I would certainly recommend Senior Moment, especially if you have a loved one in long-term care or it is on the horizon. I devoured this book in one sitting and really felt connected with Monica, her mother, and their journey. 

Thank you, Nimbus Publishing, for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review!

Book Review: The Cursed Girls by Caro Ramsay

By Erica Wiggins

Content warning: suicide, eating disorders, childhood abuse

The Cursed Girls is a standalone novel. It follows Megan Melvick as she comes home to see her sister Melissa, who is dying. Megan left her family’s estate after several tragedies and has been gone for three years. When she arrives back home, memories surrounding the tragedies start to flood back and Megan is left to sort through what really happened. The story switches perspectives between Megan and her childhood friend, Carla.

“It takes me a while to get to the faerie pool where I see Papa at the overhanging trees on the bank at the far side. He’s putting a necklace on, then he takes a step out over the water.”

This snippet, from a quick three-page prologue set in 2004 at Megan’s fourth birthday party, sets a dark tone for this story. It had me intrigued and wondering where the story would go next.

Fast forward fifteen years to 2019, and Megan begins the journey home to see her sister. Over the next eight days, Megan tries to make sense of the loss of her childhood friend, the loss of her sister, and the disappearance of her mom. I was excited by the prologue of this story, but moving into the body, I found it challenging to get into it. It was a little confusing at first and the unreliable narrators only add to this. Megan has hearing loss and picks and chooses when she wears her hearing aids. She seems to have a distorted view as to the events that have occurred, and this makes it difficult to relate to her as a character. 

I did enjoy the portions narrated by Carla. She appears to give a clearer view of the events that happened, and is able to give more perspective. She had a rough childhood and was forced into unsafe situations by her mother. I was able to relate to her tough upbringing, and her desire to fit in.

While I enjoyed this story overall, it moved slowly and only picked up about three-quarters of the way in. It felt like there was a great deal of extra information given that was not necessary to the story and at the same time, like something was missing. I wanted more excitement—more thrills. The story is wrapped up neatly in the end. I would recommend this book to mystery lovers who enjoy a slow build up to the resolution with plenty of detail along the way.

Overall, this was a three-star read for me and I would be open to reading more from this author.

Thank you to Publishing Group Canada for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: Probably Ruby by Lisa Bird-Wilson

By Meredith Grace Thompson

Lisa Bird-Wilson’s Probably Ruby is a radiating constellation of people, places, moments, dreams, and memories, all moving together in order to weave together the web that is a life—a created self—in the protagonist of Ruby Valentine.  

Robbed of her Indigeneity by being labeled “French” rather than “Métis” on her adoption paperwork in order to be kept out of Saskatchewan’s 1960–70s AIM (Adopt Indian Métis) program, Ruby spends her life feeling outside of those around her. She is pushed to the periphery, unwanted and yet specifically chosen. Bird-Wilson uses the formulation of her protagonist’s existence to ask the decidedly philosophical question: What is freedom? Can freedom be an option if there are no choices available?  

Structurally, Bird-Wilson creates a web of intersecting vignettes. Each scene casts a new and different light on the protagonist, showing the intricate and often unknowable ways in which lives intersect with and echo through one another, even after individuals are gone. Some relationships are clear, some less so, but all are necessary.  

The question of choosing and being chosen is repeated throughout the novel, asking its reader if it is possible for family to be something chosen, or if family must be tied to biological lineage. Ruby, born to a teenaged mother never given the option to keep her despite desperately trying, does not take her adopted mother’s word that to be chosen is somehow better than to simply belong. Rather, she searches for faces and names that tie her to her birth family, needing and at times creating stories and images that anchor her to a shared history. 

Bird-Wilson’s narrator is not tied to Ruby but rather wanders poignantly throughout the novel’s landscape, dropping into the consciousness of Ruby’s teenage mother, fighting as best she can to keep the baby that is being torn from her by the state, by the church, and by her own family. This narrative viewpoint gifts the reader with the knowledge that Ruby can never have—what her mother and her father are feeling and thinking. The book’s opening pages contain a drawing entitled “Ruby’s Relationship Web” which shows hand-drawn names and criss-crossing, doubling-back lines that envelope, share, and amplify. Ruby is an amalgamation of these lines. 

But Ruby also becomes a user and disposer of people. Her agency seems to have been warped, as if the only real power she can maintain is that of running away. She was a thing sought to be forgotten from the onset. She was life created in a way deemed wrong by the colonial Catholic authorities. 

Imagery of spiders repeats throughout the novel, as Ruby allows a daddy-long-legs to crawl through her hair as she sits, diametrically opposed as an unwanted and yet also chosen child, in the backyard of her adoptive mother. Choice has been removed from the lives of Ruby’s family, layer by layer. Her mother, white, poor, and young, was never given the choice to keep her child, shamed for the fact that the boy she loved was Indigenous, and for her Indigenous baby—light enough that “she could be passed” (p. 126), but still born out of wedlock. 

Ruby’s running is reflected and refracted by the women in her family web, who are constantly running. Running towards and yet constantly away in the same splitting instant. Ruby Valentine is a woman created of moments of interiority. She exists, so fully formed a human, with such a radiating web of connection, it is impossible not to wonder how your own web may intersect with hers and to admire Lisa Bird-Wilson’s craftsmanship in creating it. 

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: The Strangers by Katherena Vermette

By Larissa Page

Trigger warnings: Child death, drug use and abuse, mentions of sexual assault

In 2016, Vermette gave us an incredible family drama full of strong Métis women called The Break where we are introduced to Phoenix Stranger, a troubled youth who has an exceptionally large and negative impact on the family. 

The Strangers picks up only months after The Break ends. Following three generations of the Stranger family over the span of five years, we are introduced again to Phoenix, as well as her sister Cedar-Sage, mother Elsie, and grandmother, Margaret. Set up with approximately a chapter for each character per year (year one, year two, etc.), we are given insight into their lives, their background, their growth, their traumas, their successes, and their love.

The Strangers is full of intergenerational trauma, but what makes this novel, like its predecessor The Break, so unique and incredible is how clearly the lines of that intergenerational trauma are drawn and how obvious its effects are. It is so easy to be sympathetic to Elsie when we know the story of Margaret, and it is so easy to be sympathetic to Phoenix when we know the story of Elsie. By putting these stories together, layer on layer, we can more easily see the way by which trauma can be channelled from one generation down to the next, and how that can have an impact on the choices and actions made by someone. Books like this are so important because they can help grow empathy toward different people in different circumstances than our own.

I will say I felt less connected to the characters in The Strangers than I did to the characters in The Break. I found this interesting because the cast of characters in The Break was much larger, but I personally think it was simply a different dynamic. The Break followed several characters, all focusing around a single event. The Strangers follows four characters over the span of five years, which gives us a different type of novel, a different pace with different outcomes. This has its benefits, and I think readers will really like it; I was simply expecting something a little different and had to adjust my expectations.

With incredible writing like Vermette’s, it’s no surprise The Strangers is on the Scotiabank Giller Prize long list. Even with the heart-wrenching events that take place within this novel, Vermette manages to portray hope and growth. By the time the novel ends, you can see the trajectory of healing for some, if not all, of the characters, which is surprising considering earlier on in the novel that didn’t come through as much.  

Anyone who loved The Break will want to pick up The Strangers. It can absolutely be read as a stand-alone as I didn’t get the sense it was an intended sequel, but The Strangers does draw from a bit of the information given in The Break, and they are absolutely still connected.

Thank you, Penguin Random House Canada, for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey

By Dahl Botterill

Leviathan Wakes is set in a just distant enough future in which humanity has advanced technologically enough to have expanded into the solar system but no further, and without really solving a lot of the issues that plague us today. This juxtaposition of growth and stagnation results in a setting filled with new and exciting environments populated by characters and factions with easily recognizable motivations and flaws. It all manages to feel familiar despite being full of spaceships, railguns, and alien bioweapons. 

The author—James S.A. Corey is a pseudonym for Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck writing together, but for simplicity, I'll refer to them in the singular—also does a great job of using actual science without drowning the story in it. The extra effort lends the story some extra credibility without ever slowing it down. 

Leviathan Wakes is written in the third person but plays with this perspective a little, shifting its focus back and forth between two characters in alternating chapters throughout, bookended with a prologue and epilogue that focus on different characters entirely. The first of our two primary characters is Miller, a past-his-prime detective working on Ceres station when he's assigned a missing persons “kidnap job.” His focus on this task becomes obsessive and drags him all over the solar system, where he eventually crosses paths with James Holden. Holden is the book's other focal character, who's in a relatively dead-end job as the executive officer on an ice-running ship when a nearby distress beacon turns his life, along with the lives of a few crew members, upside down. The story starts small but grows quickly and inexorably from a bit of mystery and intrigue to a potential interplanetary war between Earth, Mars, and the fledgling Outer Planets Alliance. 

The growth of the story showcases a real strength of Corey's—Leviathan Wakes is brilliantly paced. It starts out interesting and manages to maintain its momentum throughout its considerable length. It isn't always shootouts and chases, but it's always drawing the reader forward, whether through direct action, political intrigue, or just fascinating science fiction. As the first book in an ongoing series, this is a good sign, and the success of both The Expanse as a book series and the television show based on it seems a good indication that James S.A. Corey manages to keep that pace up over time. I'm certainly looking forward to reading more. 

Book Review: The Damage by Caitlin Wahrer

By Rebekah Dolmat

Content warning: murder, rape, sexual assault and violence

Caitlin Wahrer’s debut novel, The Damage, is an emotional and thought-provoking character-driven police procedural that addresses some controversial—and what is unfortunately still taboo—topics and themes while also offering a fresh take on the typical detective trope. In The Damage, Wahrer successfully tells a powerful and compelling story while also delivering all of the slow-burning tension and suspenseful elements that readers have come to expect from such crime novels.

Before continuing, it is important to state that the entire plot of The Damage revolves around the violent rape of one of the main male characters. Therefore, if you are sensitive towards stories that have graphic rape content, this may not be the book for you. However, if you are a reader that can stomach such content, as well as descriptive scenes, then this is a very important read as it brings attention and visibility to the victims of a crime that, unfortunately, too many men can and do relate to.   

The Damage begins with Nick—a college student—who plans to meet up with a guy he likes at a bar. He arrives earlier with some friends, but when it is clear that his actual date is not coming, he flirts with an older man. The two of them hit it off; the drinks keep coming, and one thing leads to another until Nick finds himself the victim of an extremely violent sexual assault and, therefore, at the centre of a police investigation. Detective Rice is put on the case, but it’s really his family (brother, sister-in-law) that provides Nick with the most support.

What makes The Damage a unique police procedural is that, instead of the book focusing on the detective who is trying to solve a horrific crime, it focuses almost entirely on the family’s experiences in the aftermath of said crime. In The Damage, the reader is privy to the innermost thoughts of the victim and his family members. Their emotions and reactions to what happened to Nick take centre stage and help guide the story, while the detective’s questions, theories, and thoughts remain in the background. Yes, the detective certainly shapes the story, but his job of solving the case is not the main focus. The focus is really on what happens to Nick and the lengths his family will go to both help and protect him.

The Damage ultimately has it all—it’s a gripping, emotional, and heartbreaking story that is packed full of suspense, tension, and thrilling twists that will take the reader by complete surprise. The ending is incredible and is sure to blow the reader away. The Damage, to put it simply, is a masterfully crafted, well-written debut novel. 

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and Doubleday Canada for the complimentary review copy.

Book Review: Forest Magic by Sarah Grindler

By Christine McFaul

Forest Magic is a delightful nonfiction nature guide for little explorers (ages 4-8), words and illustrations by Canadian creator Sarah Grindler. On a personal note, this book landed within my four-year-old’s most requested books this past summer, and in my opinion, there is no higher compliment than the child requested repeat-read!

Grindler’s guide opens with a question: “What do you notice when you are walking in the forest?” To answer this question, it prompts readers to take note of the sights, smells, sounds, and feel of the natural world around them. The pages that follow are informative, interactive, and even whimsical in places, showcasing all manner of flora and fauna commonly encountered in North American forests. Each new page offers a compelling mix of facts, musings, explanations, and beautiful new vocabulary. It won’t be long before readers are able to identify a nurse log, turkey tail mushrooms, lungwort lichen, and maybe even a pixie (…pixie cup moss, that is!).

But the narrative is not all facts, being scattered throughout with open-ended questions sure to spark imagination and further discussion. Questions like, “If you planted a sapling today, would it grow faster than you?” and “Which wildflower is your favourite?” As a parent, I very much appreciated two pragmatic spreads that Grindler chose to include near the end. These spreads outline “things that are safe to touch” and “things that are not safe to touch” while exploring in the woods, reminding us to take into account not only the safety of ourselves but also the wildlife we encounter. Grindler also includes brightly coloured illustrations of each item she lists, making it easy for even the youngest audience to identify what can and cannot safely be touched. 

And on the topic of illustrations, Grindler’s pictures are lovely and bring this guide to life. Her palette showcases the many shades of nature, with a predominant theme of soft greens and browns. Grindler plays with light to advantage, often having it stream through her illustrations, invoking the lush peace of quiet forest glens. She also includes detailed closeups of leaves, flowers, animals, and insects. My favourite of these pages is one full of mushrooms, a highly underrated vegetation, and as Grindler’s art so perfectly proves, can be as varied, fascinating, and beautiful as any wildflower.

Forest Magic is the perfect introductory guidebook for young explorers, managing to impart its wisdom without sacrificing the imagination; to teach while never feeling boring or didactic. Reading this book truly feels like taking a walk in the woods with a fellow nature lover. I highly recommend this book and have already put a library hold on Grindler’s first book, Seaside Treasures (2019). 

Thank you, Nimbus Publishing Ltd., for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: Uncommon Sense by Adam Mardero

By Jamie Maletta

I agreed to review Adam Mardero’s memoir Uncommon Sense: An Autistic Journey without any previous knowledge about the author or book. I was unsure what to expect or what my thoughts and feelings would be after reading it, but if I could review this book in one word, that word would be “incredible.” I could feel Mardero’s passion for writing and advocacy as I read each page, and I couldn’t put it down. The book was so well written, and there’s such a need for this type of advocacy in today’s world. This book hit all the marks for me. 

Mardero recounts his childhood, youth, and journey into adulthood navigating an Asperger’s syndrome diagnosis (which today falls under autism spectrum disorder, or ASD, as I’ve come to learn from Mardero’s book). From childhood struggles and teenage angst to dating, working, adulthood and an incredible university education, Mardero doesn’t leave the reader wondering as he dives headfirst into every stage, every struggle, and every victory. His words are honest and powerful, bringing awareness to the subject that truly needs to be heard. I felt like I knew Adam as I read each page. He’s your neighbour, the friend you grew up with, and the guy you want to know more about as you turn each page. His writing draws the reader in, inviting them to sit alongside him throughout this personal journey. I couldn’t put the book down—I didn’t want to. 

Having minimal previous knowledge surrounding Asperger’s syndrome or “ASD”, I find myself wanting to learn more, do more, and pass this book along after reading Mardero’s story. The chapters aren’t too long, which I always appreciate, and they’re written in a way we can all relate. Mardero’s story is real, raw, and a journey from which I think we can all learn something. The writing is so, so good, and I’ll be (im)patiently waiting for Mardero’s next release. It’s in my must-read pile, and I’m not even sure it exists yet. I’m absolutely confident this won’t be the last we see of Adam Mardero. The world needs more.

Book Review: The Disappearing Act by Catherine Steadman

By Melissa Barbuzzi

Content warning: murder, sexual assault

The Disappearing Act follows British star Mia Eliot, who seems to have it all: an incredible lead role and a boyfriend whose celebrity status is quickly growing. When all of that comes crashing down, she decides to travel to Hollywood in order to reset and try to take her career to the next level. Mia arrives eager and excited for the potential new opportunities coming her way. She is doing back-to-back auditions, waiting for her big break to come. While waiting outside for her last audition, she meets a fellow actress named Emily. Emily seems to be in distress, so Mia offers to help her out by doing her a small favour. That small favour quickly starts snowballing, and all of Mia’s fun Hollywood plans start to take a turn for the worse.

I really enjoyed The Disappearing Act and all of the twisty-turny mystery that came with it. It was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, so I was very excited when it ended up being a page-turner that I could not put down! Throughout the entirety of the book I was constantly guessing who was trustworthy, and what was going to happen next. 

I went in to this book completely blind which I think played a role in my enjoyment of it—if I had known more about the plot and premise I don’t think it would have been as much of a hit for me. Steadman’s experience as an actress added some authenticity to the writing and made it feel like I was actually getting an inside look at Hollywood. As a huge fan of all things Hollywood, this was a really neat piece and definitely brought the book to the next level for me. 

Although the plot was fun, it felt incredibly implausible, and the main character Mia was very naïve time and time again. After the first few naïve decisions I decided to give her a pass. She was in a new city, a new environment, and we all make some questionable decisions sometimes. But after multiple decisions that made me think “what the heck is she doing?”, enough was enough.

The ending was my biggest gripe with this book. There was so much build up and anticipation for an ending that just felt “meh.” It left me feeling super unsatisfied and it was a let-down compared to all of the excitement throughout the beginning of the book.

If you’re looking for a fun, fast-paced mystery, I would definitely recommend The Disappearing Act. As I mentioned, there were some pieces that I did not love, but it was a fun plot that kept me engaged throughout.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review!

Book Review: The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki

By Carmen Lebar

Content warning: homophobia, racism, ableism, depression, suicide

The Book of Form and Emptiness is the latest novel from renowned author Ruth Ozeki. The novel centres around Benny and his family, when one day Benny’s father Kenji is run over by a truck. After the accident, Benny begins to hear voices, but not just any voices—the voices of the objects all around him. These voices only get louder and stronger once Benny’s mother Annabelle develops a hoarding problem. The novel explores the new life Benny and Annabelle have, and how they must face their new problems. After enjoying Ozeki’s A Tale for the Time Being, I was optimistic about trying out her latest piece of fiction. And it didn’t disappoint. I thoroughly liked this novel, especially with its unreliable narration, and cast of characters. 

The narration is wonderfully inconstant. It often shifts between first, second, and third person perspective throughout the novel. The chapters swap between Benny and his Book. (His Book is one of the voices Benny hears that narrates his life and speaks to him.) Since there are shifting perspectives, you never know who is truly telling the truth. The novel focuses a lot on reality, and the question of what is real. The unreliable narration plays so well into this theme because it leaves the reader guessing what to believe. Are the voices talking to Benny real? Or does Benny have auditory hallucinatory episodes? There were many moments where I audibly gasped when something was revealed. Every time I thought I had figured something out, the plot would twist and turn in ways I didn’t expect. 

Another thing that was unexpected was just how unique the characters are in this novel. I haven’t encountered characters quite like the ones in The Book of Form and Emptiness. Apart from Benny and Annabelle, there’s The Aleph, a friend Benny meets at the ward; Slavoj, a homeless Slovenian philosopher living near the library; and The Book, a voice that is narrating and shaping Benny’s life. When these characters come together, there is this chemistry that works so well. Ozeki establishes how all these characters are connected, and how each one has a story to tell. And when they come together through all the sadness, miscalculations, and adventure, it creates a story that is unforgettable. 

The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki is unlike any book I’ve ever read, and one I’ll probably never see replicated. It’s sad, hopeful, funny, and thoughtful all at once. Ozeki created a world where all these things can exist at the same time and make sense. It’s a book about mental health, family, reality, and identity. Even the real-world references Ozeki alludes to—like Marie Kondo and the American election—all come to work perfectly in the world she created. This is a book for book lovers. A book for anyone who loves metafiction, magical realism, and literary fiction. It’s a book that you won’t be able to put down, and will get you pondering the question, what is real?

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review. Please note that Carmen has recently acquired a new position with Penguin Random House Canada. Her thoughts and opinions are her own, but for transparency we'd like to share this detail.

Book Review: Beasts of Prey by Ayana Gray

By Meghan Mazzaferro

Content warning: violence, gore, racial discrimination/prejudices, trauma-induced hallucinations    

Beasts of Prey by Ayana Gray is a young adult fantasy novel inspired by Pan-African myths and folklore. A hundred years after a cataclysm called the Rupture scars the sky and drives magic from the city of Lkossa, two teens form an unlikely alliance that may be the key to unlocking mysteries hidden for the last century. 

Koffi and Ekon could not be more different. Koffi is an indentured servant of the Night Zoo, forced to work as a beast master to pay off her family’s debts, and Ekon is an aspiring Son of the Six, a warrior desperate to fulfill a family legacy. Though separated by class and culture, a twist of fate drives Koffi and Ekon to a shared, desperate goal: to hunt the Shetani, a monster who has hunted in the Greater Jungle for the last hundred years, killing thousands. The two form a tenuous alliance to brave the Greater Jungle together and capture the monster—though each needs the Shetani for a different purpose. But the Greater Jungle is a dangerous place, and Ekon and Koffi must work together if they wish to make it out alive. 

Beasts of Prey has been one of my most anticipated reads of the year, and when I found out I would have the opportunity to read and review this book before its release, I was ecstatic. This book sounds like everything I could want from a YA fantasy novel: a fantasy world with a deadly setting, two characters with opposing goals forced to work together, and larger forces at play that come to shake the very foundation of the story I was promised. Those are lofty expectations to place on any book, particularly a debut, but Beasts of Prey not only met my expectations, it exceeded them. 

From the first page I was pulled into the world of Eshōza, and Koffi and Ekon captivated me immediately. Gray has crafted two complex characters that leap off the page, and she takes the time to develop each character and invest the reader in their goals and struggles. A common mistake I find in YA books is a tendency to jump too quickly into the main plot without taking the time to develop the status quo, reducing the impact of any character growth; Gray, however, does an excellent job of establishing the lives and goals of both Koffi and Ekon quickly and efficiently, giving the reader a clear understanding of who they are and what they want without sacrificing the pace of the story. Their individual journeys were the most memorable part of the story for me, and these characters will stick with me for a long time. Ekon in particular is a compelling and sympathetic male lead, one who deals with grief and trauma in a very realistic way, and who already holds a special place in my heart. 

The plot itself is intriguing from the first page, with a perfect blend of mystery and political intrigue to keep the reader engaged in between moments of fast-paced action. Twists and turns kept me eagerly reading, and the story evolves beyond what you are provided in the synopsis in the best way; the plot twists are shocking, but Gray lays all the clues out for you, so each reveal feels like another puzzle piece falling into place, creating a larger, more powerful picture than just the tale of two children hunting a monster. 

This book is an example of everything right in YA fantasy, and I cannot wait to continue the series and to see this book gain the love and attention it deserves. 

Thank you to G.P. Putnam’s Sons at Penguin Random House for this complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead

By Larissa Page

Harlem Shuffle is the newest release from two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Colson Whitehead. Having previously earned this honour for his novels The Nickel Boys and The Underground Railroad, Whitehead released Harlem Shuffle to a lot of buzz and excitement from book lovers.

Beginning in 1959, the book introduces Ray Carney, who was born and raised in Harlem and has made something of himself by going to college then opening a furniture store catering to the Black community in the neighbourhood. When he is involuntarily pulled into a high-profile theft, coerced to be the “fence” (the person who moves the stolen goods), it sets him on a path that carries us through the next five years of his life. Carney has two sides: he’s the straightlaced furniture salesman with the beautiful growing family, and he’s the slightly dishonest man who can move your stolen jewels and get your money for them. By Carney’s side we see gangsters, heists, riots, revenge, the high society and the low; we see thieves and we see family and we see Harlem circa 1959-1964.

I found this book less satisfying than my previous experiences with Whitehead’s novels. I was not as gripped or pulled in and I struggled to stick with it. I can almost pinpoint why. This novel read like three novellas packaged together but they didn’t quite mesh as well as they could have. Or, perhaps it was because the cycle of a story (setting the foundation, the build-up, the climax, the follow-up) happened each of those three times rather than working through one cycle as is usual in a novel. If I had known this structure ahead of time, I wonder if I would have approached reading it differently, and enjoyed it more. If you are choosing to pick up this book, you may want to consider reading each of the three parts as novellas, separating them out in your to-be-read stack rather than sitting and reading them all at once.

Because each of the three parts of Harlem Shuffle takes place a few years after the previous, there is also a really diverse cast of characters. They are a little hard to keep track of at times, but not so hard as to take away from the story. They are almost all male characters, with few consistent females and not much growth within the female characters. In fact, I found there to be very little character growth at all except perhaps in Carney himself, but I hesitate to say he grew in a positive direction. I do think he did improve but I also think this isn’t an instance of us deciding what is morally right and wrong. This novel is not for us to judge Carney, his associates, or Harlem itself, and we would be wrong to do that. I think as readers we often look for that, deciding and judging characters on the page against our own moral compass, and I do feel this novel did a good job at challenging me not to make those leaps.

Speaking of characters, Harlem itself was almost a character within the story. This was probably my favourite part of the whole novel. Harlem is so well described that I felt like I could see it. With each new part and each new year we are given a window into seeing the community grow and change, along with Carney’s furniture store (equally as detailed in its description). I did find the furniture descriptions a little heavy at times, and it pulled me away from the plot as I read, but I have to admit the descriptions were beautiful and I feel confident I could pull up a mental picture of any number of early ’60s-style couches at a moment’s notice.

This novel is beautifully written, there is no doubt there, as it came from such a renowned author. I feel it is more geared toward a detail-oriented reader who values the visual and can keep track of schemes and plots and subplots that happen within the story—the reader who appreciates the backstory and the set up. It packs a punch right in that last page, the build-up of the final part leading you right to an ending that makes you go “huh.” If each part had been more cohesive, or if I had gone into it knowing to read them as novellas, I think I would have felt more satisfied with my reading experience.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review!

Book Review: The Gatherings by Shirley N. Hager and Mawopiyane

By Carly Smith

The Gatherings: Reimaging Indigenous-Settler Relations is a nonfiction piece that examines past and present relationships between Indigenous peoples and settlers in Canada and the United States. The book begins by recounting the experiences of individuals who gathered repeatedly to better understand one another. These individuals were of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous descent and met for a series of weekends over a number of years in a way that respected Indigenous cultures and beliefs. As these gatherings continued, participants grew to learn from, empathize with, and challenge their peers. Some offered knowledge about Indigenous history, cultures and beliefs, while others admitted ignorance, acknowledging that they knew little about Indigenous history and the atrocities they suffered because of white privilege. While everyone had something different to bring to the table, all participants contributed honestly and offered genuine perspectives, ultimately helping strengthen the bond between all participants. 

What follows after the accounts of participant experiences are four sections preceding an afterword by Dr. Frances Hancock, an academic in the Faculty of Education and Social Work at the University of Auckland. 

The Circle and Ceremony
Here, the reader learns about the importance of both the circle and ceremonies in many Indigenous cultures. Hager and Mawopiyane also touch on cultural appropriation, and how these sacred practices have and can be misused, and the ways in which it affects Indigenous peoples. Guidance is offered as to how to treat these practices with the utmost respect and how settlers can be involved without taking over or imposing their power. 

Allies, Friends and Family
In this section, the participants who gathered for the series of talking circles reflect on how their relationships grew with one another. Bonds amongst Indigenous and non-Indigenous participants strengthened because they began to listen and understand one another. Empathy was a significant outcome of the gatherings, and as it grew, so too did trust. Additionally, this section further exposes the issue of white privilege and how it has dismantled connections, trust, and ultimately, coexistence between Indigenous peoples and settlers for so long. 

How We Got Here
This part provides a brief history of the atrocities performed against Indigenous people by the first settlers, as well as the subsequent mistreatment of Indigenous people. Readers also learn more about treaties and how they have been, or failed to be, maintained. As the section continues, Hager and Mawopiyane begin to focus on the present day and offer examples of how reparations are slowly being made between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples (particularly white people), as well as what still needs to be done to make amends.

How It Could Be Different

Here, Hager and Mawopiyane reinforce that settlers would benefit from being reacquainted with the earth and what it offers and learn how to treat it more kindly. Readers are also presented with the idea that we need to empathize with and acknowledge Indigenous peoples, their ways of life, and their perspectives about the planet. The third focus in this section is on gathering spaces and listening and how these necessities will help improve the relationship between Indigenous groups and settlers. 

Overall, The Gatherings: Reimaging Indigenous-Settler Relations offers eye-opening information that is beautifully tied together with thought-provoking and insightful stories from individuals who have initiated the work that needs to be done to strengthen the fragile relationships between Indigenous peoples and settlers.  

Thank you to the University of Toronto Press for a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: You Are What You Click by Brian A. Primack

By Tyra Forde

You Are What You Click by American author Brian A. Primack, MD, PhD, is a guide to getting the best out of your social media usage while shielding yourself from anything less. True to the subtitle of “How being selective, positive, and creative can transform your social media experience,” Primack walks you through several easy-to-follow steps or easy-to-implement habits that will redefine how social media impacts your life. With five parts that are broken down into 39 short chapters in just over 230 pages, the book teaches you how to form a social media strategy that is beneficial rather than detrimental, which is solidified through Primack’s million-dollar question of “how do we balance the challenges of technology with the benefits?”

Primack emphasizes the importance of establishing social media usage that is suited to individual circumstances and lifestyles. Regardless of circumstance, he makes a convincing argument for the dangers of social media due to its correlation to mental health. He discusses the dehumanization of media, body image, “Mean World Syndrome,” and FOMO (fear of missing out) and how creating a social media pyramid, much like the food pyramid, can help create a balanced social media diet. A personality quiz is a unique feature that helps you identify one of the “big five” (conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, openness, and extraversion) personality traits that you most identify with, which in turn impact social media consumption. 

How social media influences everyday life is also discussed. Primack examines social media literacy, how media impacts addictive tendencies, and how tragedies are remembered and altered through the social media landscape. Where social media can positively impact the ability to maintain friendships, Primack doesn’t shy away from the pitfalls of social media, including when it infringes on professional reputation. Throughout the book, he stresses the importance of being intentional with how social media is used and ends the guides with a fitting comparison to the mindfulness applied to meditation practices. Various pop culture references balanced with scientific studies make the book well-referenced yet also highly relevant to many different demographics, as social media has undoubtedly impacted most, if not, all of them. 

I don’t hesitate to say that You Are What You Click is a book that will change your life because I have seen in my own experience and the experience of others close to me how tightly social media consumption is interwoven with happiness. Through his guide, Primack encourages you to be honest and selective with the social media you consume and to prioritize what media serves you based on your own unique circumstances and personality traits. I read this book quickly as even though the content is heavily researched, it is presented in a way that is more engaging than academic and easy-to-digest. This book has sparked conversations with my friends and family about social media habits and has regularly inspired me to review my usage based on pre-existing, uninformed habits. You Are What You Click is my favourite read of 2021 so far. 

*Thank you, Wunderkind PR, for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review!

Book Review: The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton

By Meghan Mazzaferro

Content warning: violence, slight gore 

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton is a fantastical historical rom-com following the exploits of a secret society of Victorian lady pirates who must fight an evil, Brontë-obsessed captain who wants to rid the world of all presumptuous women. 

When a handsome pirate shows up at the home Cecilia Bassingwaite shares with her elderly aunt claiming to be an assassin, Cecilia is overjoyed. An assassination attempt means that she has amassed a large enough reputation as a pirate to be considered as a fully-fledged member of the Wisteria Society, the organization of gentlewomen pirates she has been raised by. But things do not go according to plan, and when an evil captain starts stealing the Wisteria Ladies’ houses and puts the society in danger, Cecilia must team up with her would-be assassin to save them, prove herself, and face the consequences of her past …and her future. 

This book is one of the most unique, funny, and romantic books I’ve read in a really long time. It is both a parody of, and a love letter to, classic Victorian literature and is perfect for readers who are familiar with Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters. However, you don’t need to love classics to love this book. While the story pays homage to classic women writers, it also pokes a lot of fun at the conventions of that period and has humour that is accessible to any reader, not just those who understand the nuances of social rules in the Victorian era. 

Whether you’re a fan of the classics or you love historical romances written in the present, there’s something in this book for you. Cecilia is a witty and classy leading lady, and her emotional complexity makes her easy to root for. Ned is a charming rake whose love-struck unpredictability makes him more likeable than any of the men written by Brontë or Austen (except, perhaps, Mr Darcy). The Ladies of the Wisteria Society are posh, out of touch, and utterly cutthroat in the most respectable way possible, and Captain Morvath is a villain whose Gothic preferences make him both comedic and frightening. The side characters are delightfully unique, the banter is witty, and the romance is steamy—if you gasped when Mr. Darcy held Elizabeth’s hand, you’ll be tantalized and quite possibly scandalized by the chemistry between Cecilia and Ned. The book’s plot is full of twists and turns and is just fun from beginning to end.

When I first read the summary of this book, I thought it would be an interesting change of pace from my usual reads. I certainly didn’t expect to laugh as much as I did or find myself examining the text the way I did Victorian literature during my undergraduate degree—but for fun! I was completely blown away by how immersed I was in this book. India Holton’s writing style perfectly captures the voice of the Victorian novel while deftly challenging conceptions of the period and using the Wisteria Society’s rules of etiquette, both social and pirate, to weave a thread of witty commentary and comedy throughout the work. It feels like a book that can be examined alongside Brontë and Austen’s works to understand the conventions of the period while poking fun at them. This is a world you will not want to leave when the book comes to a close, and luckily, a sequel is scheduled for publication in 2022. I, for one, am eagerly counting down the days. 

Thank you, Berkley Publishers at Penguin Random House, for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: Ghost Forest by Pik-Shuen Fung

By Anusha Runganaikaloo

Pik-Shuen Fung’s debut novel Ghost Forest tells the story of a Chinese Canadian “astronaut” family: the protagonist’s father stayed behind to work, while the rest of her family immigrated to Vancouver in 1997, just before sovereignty over Hong Kong was returned to China.

The novel alternates between three different viewpoints: the narrator’s, her mother’s, and her grandmother’s. Each chapter, no more than a few pages long, describes a defining moment in the life of one of the three characters, not necessarily in chronological order, but rather as a standalone anecdote that often ends with an aphorism. These episodes, by turns funny, sad or philosophical, form a tapestry that depicts the interwoven destinies of three generations of women. Those destinies are different and yet strangely similar: the narrator’s grandmother, born to a poverty-stricken Chinese family in the 1930s, attends school only for one year but still manages to write an opera in exquisite calligraphy—and to star in it. She passes this creativity and vitality down to her daughter and granddaughters, and we witness with fascination how each generation paves the way for the next, to finally move together halfway across the world, carrying a wealth of centuries-old customs, wisdom, and knowledge.

Growing up in Vancouver, the narrator and her younger sister are caught between these traditions—transmitted to them through wise words, rituals, and prayers—and the values of their new homeland. The cultural gap becomes all the more obvious when their father falls sick back in Hong Kong. During this pivotal moment in the family’s life, the narrator summons various memories involving herself and her father. All these memories have one thing in common: they are characterized by misunderstandings and things left unsaid.

In a context where hard work and providing for one’s family are the ultimate proofs of love, and where feelings are hardly ever expressed in words, the young woman devises a successful plan to say “I love you” to her father for the first time…and to trap him into saying the words back, which is no mean feat.

The author, a visual artist, has conceived her book much like a sketchbook full of graceful vignettes. In one chapter, she explains the technique of ink bamboo painting, which she is learning at the China Academy of Arts, and where large areas of the paper are left blank because empty space is as important as form, absence as important as presence. What is crucial is to capture the artist’s spirit. These empty spaces where each story keeps on unfolding quietly, protected from our curious gazes, long after we have finished reading, are what makes this book so appealing. Where we would usually consider empty spaces to be a waste, we can almost picture the author sketching poetic, fragile characters surrounded by white. The white becomes part of the painting, breathes life into each character’s story, and gives space to every precious word, even—or especially—to the last ones whispered before a soul flies away. A haunting read!

Thank you, Penguin Random House Canada, for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review!

Book Review: The Secret Path by Karen Swan

By Erica Wiggins

Karen Swan is a new-to-me author who has written 20 novels. An interesting fact I learned about her is that she writes two books a year—a summer title and something for Christmas. The Secret Path is Swan’s most recent novel.

Part One: March 2011

We meet Tara, a trainee doctor, and her new love Alex, a biology student. A whirlwind relationship finds Tara saying “yes” to marrying Alex after just a few months. However, Tara has a secret or two that she needs to tell Alex before she can marry him. It seems like Alex may have a secret as well, and his betrayal will change the course of Tara’s life.

Part Two: Ten Years Later

We catch up with Tara, now a surgeon, working at the same hospital as her best friend Holly. After a particularly bad case, Tara, Holly, and their families head on a much-needed holiday to Costa Rica. Tara is looking forward to resting, relaxing, and attending a family event there. After catching up with an old friend whose son is sick, Tara sets out to help him and what follows is an incredible and unexpected story.

I went into this book expecting a love story, and it kind of is, but it is so much more. It is an adventure with drama and a little bit of mystery. In fact, it is a perfect mix of everything and more than exceeded my expectations.

The bulk of the story is set in Costa Rica, and the descriptions are incredible and make you feel like you are trekking right there with the characters. 

I loved watching Tara’s character develop from a trainee doctor to a surgeon. Her path and struggles felt true to life. It was easy to sympathize with her loss of a relationship after a betrayal, and you never get over it. Her fierceness and determination after this loss is admirable. I wanted her to succeed and be happy. 

Swan weaves a story, leaving out pieces here and there that come out later in the story. This leaves you wondering, assuming, guessing and questioning, and I wasn’t always right. She is a master of leaving Easter eggs throughout the story that don’t stand out or make sense until they do. I picked up this book and read it in one sitting. I could not put it down. It was my first Karen Swan, but it will not be my last.

I would highly recommend this story to anyone looking for a covert love story, or an adventure, or a little bit of mystery. This gives you a little bit of everything. Don’t let the cover fool you, pick up this book! 

Thank you, Publishing Group Canada, for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review!

Book Review: Instamom by Chantel Guertin

By Melissa Khan

Kit Kidding is serious about living a childfree life. She’s at the height of her career as a social media influencer on Instagram, advocating for other women who share her belief that women who choose not to become mothers are just as valid as those who do. Kit is cool, confident, and totally happy being single. Until she meets handsome chef, Will MacGregor, at an influencer event and starts to feel that their one-night-stand has the potential to become something more. 

Kit and Will are thrown together on an Instagram campaign, but just as things start heating up, Kit discovers that Will has a daughter—the last thing she could have expected or desired. Kit is determined to keep their relationship strictly professional, but after spending more and more time with the two of them, Kit can’t bring herself to stay away. 

I admired Kit for advocating for women and their choice to stay childfree. Her stance wasn’t about hating kids or invalidating mothers but simply allowing women to choose something different. It’s not selfish to not want children. So, of course, with the introduction of a handsome suitor and his adorable daughter, it is expected for things to get complicated and a little messy.

Kit is forced to confront the career she’s built, the face she presents to the world, and the influence she carries. Being childfree has become Kit’s entire public persona, but is that who she is? And why did she make the choice to be childfree in the first place? Is it possible to not want children of your own but still make space for a life with a child? I went back and forth with Kit throughout the novel, trying to reconcile what the right choice would be. What compromise, if any, could there be?

I especially loved how realistic Will was. There were moments when I loved Will and moments when I thought Kit deserved better. And moments when I couldn’t decide who was right in the situation because they both had valid reasons for how they felt. Will didn’t respond to every situation “perfectly” with complete understanding to show that Kit was just overreacting; he had flaws too. It’s stated early in the novel that Will doesn’t have, nor has any interest in, social media, and this character trait doesn’t magically change overnight. I think the realistic portrayal of both characters was refreshing and enhanced the seriousness of Kit’s inevitable choice. 

I changed my mind so often in this novel, sometimes getting upset with Kit for how she rationalised her actions. I felt especially let down when it seemed that she could end up wanting kids because it felt like the novel would be saying that a character wanting a childfree life would always ultimately change their mind. But after completing the novel, I don’t think it’s saying that at all. There should be space for any person to explore, change their mind, and grow—which is what Kit is allowed to do. I recommend you check out Chantel Guertin’s novel Instamom, and maybe it’ll change your mind too.

Thank you, Penguin Random House Canada, for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review. 

Book Review: The Crash Palace by Andrew Wedderburn

By Tyra Forde

Have you ever been on “a joy ride set on a crash course with the past?” With this simple tagline, Andrew Wedderburn paints the lines of the road with Audrey Cole’s lifeline: driving. For Alberta native Wedderburn, his second novel, The Crash Palace, proves that while you can temporarily escape the present, the past will always catch up to you. Audrey Cole is a single mother with a secret: her past as a chauffeur for Alberta indie band the Lever Men. Four years after a fateful December in the Crash Palace, an unregulated refuge for wilderness explorers or escapists, Audrey still cannot shake her memories of the lodge at Two Reel Lake. When a spur of the moment Grand Theft Auto incident gives Audrey the keys, she races to revisit part of her history. 

With her daughter and mother asleep at home, Audrey’s drive into the wilderness in the safety of a stolen Audi begins to blend with the same trip she and the Lever Men took years ago. The novel switches timelines like a midday driver switches lanes. Sometimes, the transition is seamless, like when Wedderburn draws parallels from the band’s visit in 2005 to when Audrey returns alone in 2009. Other times, the timelines are shrouded in mystery, with all the clues to her past ready for the picking but only pieced together towards the end of the book. Even when the story comes full circle, it’s clear the road ahead for Audrey will contain many twists and turns. This ambiguity is part of what makes the novel so captivating. Much like life, or a road trip without a set endpoint, The Crash Palace is about the journey rather than the destination.  

The descriptions of both place and person is what sets this novel apart from others. Wedderburn captures the B-list Alberta music scene of the mid-2000s with accounts so rich it feels as though you’re standing on a sticky floor watching the Lever Men play a late-night set to a mostly empty bar right along with Audrey. Just as easily, he conjures the endless scenery of the Rockies and the open roads that penetrate them with authenticity and vibrancy. Audrey’s love for driving and fond memories of every vehicle she’s ever driven in punctures every hour on the road and every paragraph on the page with her distinct persona.  

At just under 250 pages, The Crash Palace is a book that will be hard to put down and even harder to forget. It questions what happens if we let life pass us by and “coast downhill in neutral,” as Wedderburn puts it, and what happens if we take our eyes off the map and instead explore exactly where we are. It tells the story of people who come together and then drift apart and how our past shapes the present. It also explores how shared interests created shared history. For Audrey Cole and the Lever Men, all it took was a love of music and a long open road. 

Book Review: The Dollhouse by Charis Cotter

By Megan Amato

After nearly three decades of declaring my apathy towards horror to anyone who will listen, this past year or so has proved that I just hadn’t explored the genre enough. I should have known better—I tell the same to those who say they hate romance. Gothic horror and ghost stories both delight and spook me, and Canadian author Charis Cotter’s middle-grade novel, The Dollhouse: A Ghost Story, was no exception. 

On their way to her mother’s new job, Alice woefully wishes for a more attentive father and imagines the train crashing when it halts abruptly. Sore and a bit dizzy, she meets Mary and her sweet, child-like 16-year-old daughter Lily when they arrive at the house. They explore the home against the cantankerous owner’s wishes and discover a dollhouse in the attic, nearly an exact replica of the house. Soon after, Alice begins to dream of the dollhouse’s creation and a mischievous girl named Fizz and her sweet, child-like older sister Bubble. When a man like her imagined father shows up, real and dream life blur as happenings in the dollhouse appear in her waking world and vice-versa. She demands an answer from smug-faced Fizz, who tells Alice that her train accident was much worse than thought—she died. A distraught Alice denies this, but too many events add up. Was her concussion causing her to hallucinate, or was she the ghost haunting Fizz’s world?

The Dollhouse combines many classic horror tropes—secret rooms, creepy dolls, ghosts that only the protagonist can see, and a plausible explanation mixed with a hint of the unexplainable—and delivers them in a mysterious package that pulls the reader into the story. I loathe when adults critique children’s books with adult book parameters. While the plot progression is a tad predictable, it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the story, and I think middle-grade readers will enjoy guessing what is going on in that spooky house. I found the development of the story well done, and I think many of the themes (cancelled plans, divorce, lack of control, adults not listening to them) are ones that many young readers can find relatable.

Despite my enjoyment in this story, I did have one major gripe with it: how the developmental disabilities of two of the characters, Lily and Bubble, are written.  While I understand that their mirrored traits provided similarities between the protagonist’s real world and her dream/doll world, it came off as a stereotype. Lily’s otherworldly and “off with the fairies” qualities made my hackles rise as it is a common and harmful trope often written into characters with developmental disabilities. However, instead of writing it off for this problematic representation, I think parents should talk to their kids when issues arise in books so children and young adults can think critically about what they are reading.

Despite this glaring issue, I do think that middle-grade readers of ghost stories and fans of Neil Gaiman’s Graveyard Book or Coraline alike will enjoy this spooky tale. 

Thank you, Penguin Random House Canada and Tundra Books, for this copy in exchange for an honest review.