Shadow Giller: Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien

Do Not Say We Have Nothing is all over the internet right now, perhaps due to its spot as a finalist for the Man Booker Prize, and more recently it has become the 2016 winner of the Governor General's Literary Award for Fiction. Because of all the already-existing fabulous reviews that abound I'm going to try … Continue reading Shadow Giller: Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien

Shadow Giller: 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl by Mona Awad

There was always that shadowy twin, thin when I was fat, fat when I was thin, myself in silvery negative, with dark teeth and shining white pupils glowing in that black sunlight of another world.  --Margaret Atwood What Mona Awad does so well in this book is to put us inside the head of a woman with … Continue reading Shadow Giller: 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl by Mona Awad

Shadow Giller: The Wonder by Emma Donoghue

I put off writing my review of The Wonder for a couple of weeks after reading Kim's excellent review. I couldn't see how I could add anything more. But I have taken some time to forget about what she wrote so that I can concentrate on my own notes. Fans of Emma Donoghue will surely … Continue reading Shadow Giller: The Wonder by Emma Donoghue

Willem de Kooning’s Paintbrush by Kerry Lee Powell

Willem de Kooning's Paintbrush was longlisted for the Giller Prize, is a finalist for the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize, and a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Awards. So, of course I had to read it. As I have mentioned before, I prefer novels to short stories. However, short stories have their place in … Continue reading Willem de Kooning’s Paintbrush by Kerry Lee Powell

Shadow Giller: Yiddish For Pirates by Gary Barwin

Gary Barwin's imagination knocked my socks off. History and adventure come together in this remarkable tale full of word play and wit, all told by a 500-year-old Yiddish-speaking parrot. So, you ask, how did this shell-less cheder-bocher - schoolboy - drawn from the waters of Ashkenaz find himself on the Spanish Main, the blade of … Continue reading Shadow Giller: Yiddish For Pirates by Gary Barwin

Shadow Giller: The Best Kind of People by Zoe Whittall

[Rape Culture's] most devilish trick is to make the average non-criminal person identify with the person accused, instead of the person reporting the crime...                                                               … Continue reading Shadow Giller: The Best Kind of People by Zoe Whittall

Literary Wives: American Housewife by Helen Ellis

Literary Wives is an on-line book club that examines the meaning and role of wife in different books. Every other month, we post and discuss a book with this question in mind: What does this book say about wives or about the experience of being a wife? Don’t forget to check out the other members of Literary … Continue reading Literary Wives: American Housewife by Helen Ellis