Reviews
Fiction
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Who We Are in Real Life is a debut young adult novel by Saskatchewan author Victoria Koops. It follows Darcy, a moody bisexual teenager who resents her two moms’ decision to move the family to a small town for a job opportunity, and Art, a nerdy guy with an intimidating father. When the two discover a mutual love for role-playing games their friendship begins to blossom into something more. Meanwhile, Darcy is grappling with the homophobia directed at her and her moms, along with an obsessive boyfriend she can’t seem to shake, while Art learns what it means to be an ally.
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Bedfellows - Fiction
“Aren’t they getting a bit old to be sharing a bed?”
The words ring incessantly in Aiden’s mind as he stares at the speckled ceiling, lying restlessly on a pillow that has grown damp with his sweat. His twisted sheets are quicksand, swallowing him nearly as fast as his shame. It’s an embarrassment he struggles to understand. From a logical perspective, he hasn’t done anything wrong. But his logic has long since gone to sleep, along with Nate who slumbers soundlessly on his side, facing Aiden, just as he always does. Aiden used to think it was impossible to feel lonely in the presence of friends, but impossible seems to have a different definition after midnight.
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Short story writer Astrid Blodgett explores loss, family dynamics, and uncomfortable truths with her latest collection, This Is How You Start To Disappear. Twelve short stories introduce readers to characters who experience different forms of trauma. Some stories come to a clear conclusion while others leave behind unanswered questions, often mirroring the reader’s life.
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There Are Wolves Here Too by Niall Howell - Review
Nothing is more disorienting than the disappearance of a little girl. Except, maybe, being 13.
There are Wolves Here Too follows thirteen-year-old Robin and his two best friends in the summer of 1997. Their days are filled with soccer games, romps through the mall, Dairy Queen blizzards, and babysitting gigs. Against the innocent backdrop of their small-town-Alberta friendship, something sinister lurks, and it all comes to a head when six-year-old Catherine Hillerman goes missing. What follows is a web of paranoia, while Robin himself comes to terms with the role he may have played in Catherine’s disappearance. Was he the catalyst? Or is something darker at play?
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The Definition of Beautiful by Charlotte Bellows - Review
When we meet Charlotte Bellows she is at “rock bottom.” She knows she has anorexia. Her mom knows it too, on some level, and now her doctor is involved. The stakes have been set: if Charlotte doesn’t gain weight, she’ll have to spend time at an eating disorder clinic in Edmonton, which is a fate she considers worse than death.
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