From the Library: the future, the past, and the 1990s

These three books took me from western, to central, to eastern Canada. And from the future, to the past, to almost the present (the 1990s). I loved them all. Greenwood by Michael Christie (Random House) I'm so happy I finally read this book. I've been wanting to read it since it came out, and have … Continue reading From the Library: the future, the past, and the 1990s

The Most Precious Substance on Earth by Shashi Bhat

This is a novel made up of stories highlighting different stages of a woman's life. I loved this book for the structure, the humour, and the character's flaws. Not to mention the Halifax setting - as you know, I always appreciate a local setting. There is an incident that takes place early on in Nina's … Continue reading The Most Precious Substance on Earth by Shashi Bhat

From the Library: Khatna, Addiction, and Coming-of-Age

All excellent books, all written by women of colour, taking me from New York to India, from Alabama to Ghana, and finally to the suburbs of Toronto. Seven by Farzana Doctor When I learned that Seven was a book, in part, about Khatna--a cultural or religious ritual of female genital cutting--I was worried it would … Continue reading From the Library: Khatna, Addiction, and Coming-of-Age

The Little Fox of Mayerville by Éric Mathieu, translated by Peter McCambridge

As I was reading With My Back to the World by Sally Cooper, I wrote down "Value the child and maybe everything else falls into place." In The Little Fox of Mayerville we read about a child who is not valued - a child who is neglected, abused and abandoned. My whole childhood was nothing but … Continue reading The Little Fox of Mayerville by Éric Mathieu, translated by Peter McCambridge

Frying Plantain by Zalika Reid-Benta

"On my first visit to Jamaica I saw a pig's severed head." And so begins our time with Kara, a second-generation Jamaican-Canadian who, unlike her Jamaican cousins, does not feel comfortable with dead animals, and whose Jamaican accent is not strong enough for her Jamaican-Canadian friends. Yet around her white classmates, Kara feels too Jamaican. … Continue reading Frying Plantain by Zalika Reid-Benta

Marie-Renée Lavoie: ‘Autopsy of a Boring Wife’ and ‘Mister Roger and Me’

Autopsy of A Boring Wife, translated by Arielle Aaronson I've always thought it terribly pretentious to gather all your loved ones in one place in order to say: the two of us, right here right now and in spite of the overwhelming statistics, declare that we, temporarily bonded by the illusion of eternity, we are … Continue reading Marie-Renée Lavoie: ‘Autopsy of a Boring Wife’ and ‘Mister Roger and Me’