John Staughton, Senior Reviewer

A painfully relevant novel about poisonous patriotism, Them by Andrew J. Gregor is a striking statement about youth, indoctrination, and the ideological evolution of America. Jonah is a Midwest teen with a racist mechanic for a father, while Leila is a Muslim immigrant with a scarred family history and too much experience dealing with prejudice. Their unconventional connection veers toward star-crossed tragedy when Jonah’s father takes his bigotry to new heights of violence, emboldened by a national surge of Islamophobia and isolationism. Highlighting our modern era of misinformation and malicious beliefs, Gregor’s novel is a clear-eyed critique of virulent ignorance […]

An inventive and sometimes disturbing collection of stories, Mr Forward & Other Tails of Loss by Eric Herkert is a surreal plunge into the bizarre connections of ordinary lives. An innocent family’s cursed day of the week, disappearing doctor’s offices, a devilish puppeteer of mischief and murder, and the secret schemes of cats – homicidal, telepathic, and otherwise – make this a wild and genre-bending web of off-kilter storytelling. Exploring the casual desperation of solitude and the lingering effects of loss, this neatly curated collection is alternately profound and chilling, for a wholly original work of literary short fiction.

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An ominous thriller in the mysterious wilds of British Columbia, To Right a Wrong by Yuwa Hedrick-Wong is a multilayered whodunit with compelling investigators and an enticing number of twists. When the death of her ambitious friend Kim is classified as a suicide, Shaunna Duncan delves into solving what she rightfully believes was a murder. Supported by an eclectic crime-solving team, she unpacks the truth of Kim’s dangerous side hustles and the deadly webs in which he’d become entangled. Hedrick-Wong delivers a relatable set of characters in this strong opening to the Salt Spring Island Murder Mystery series, which crackles […]

A self-therapy guide for anyone seeking relief from emotional pain and unaddressed trauma, Master Emotional Healing: 8-Week Guided Mindfulness Journal to Change Behaviour Patterns and Negative Emotions for Beginners by Paulina Siwiera is an invaluable work of self-help for increasing self-awareness, reducing stress, and strengthening emotional regulation. Exploring the long-term impact of negative emotions and experiences, along with key approaches and cognitive tools to manage the resultant anxiety, this book covers a vast array of psychological issues that are not often covered in the field. “Trauma” has recently become a nebulous, blanket term in discussions of mental health, but Siwiera […]