Carrie's mother died on Tuesday. The loss has fragmented her view of the world, dulled her senses (or is that the alcohol?) and sharpened her wit. NeWest Press, 2015 Given the circumstances, the novel's narrative tone is a quick slap to the face, heightened colour left behind in
Henry K. Larsen -- star of Susin Nielsen's last novel -- was a savvy young fellow: "I know I can’t change my stupid red hair or my stupid freckles. But I can lower my freak flag." Tundra Books, 2015 In contrast, Stewart -- star of her most recent
Angie Adbou handles multiple narrative voices very well. Readers familiar with her earlier novels, The Bone Cage (2008) and The Canterbury Trail (2011) will know this, having inhabited narratives from varying perspectives. They will also know (as will readers of her 2006 collection of short stories, Anything Boys Can Do) that
Khaled Hosseini's And the Mountains Echoed and Maurice Mierau's Detachment: An Adoption Memoir are a perfect pair. Penguin Random House, 2014 And the Mountains Echoed begins with a story, told by a father to his son and his daughter. "Father never felt more present to Abdullah, more vibrant, revealed,
Eimear McBride's A Girl Is a Half-Formed Thing (2014) Reading. Then Not. Simon & Schuster, 2014 Sharp sentences. Jabbing thoughts. Unkindnesses bearing down. Book, set aside. Pause. And here is where the experience of reading A Girl Is a Half-Formed Thing may end for many readers. Some, however,
