In Conversation with Amy Timberlake author of Skunk and Badger

With Christine McFaul

 

Photo by Phil Timberlake

 

I loved Skunk and Badger. It was clever, funny, and unlike what I have been reading in the early reader category lately. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to go beyond the pages and learn more about the process of creating such an irresistibly quirky story.

Skunk and Badger are so perfectly paired. Was there a classic odd couple that inspired their characters?

It’s me! I mean, I am both of these characters. In some very real ways, this book is about my struggle with two characteristics of myself. I have my Important Rock Work and I fight for focus, focus, focus. And then there’s the Skunk side of me (joyful, playful, full of enthusiasms for nearly everything). I would like these two sides of myself to reconcile, and be good roommates. Is there hope? I am unsure. 

Which scene was most fun to write? Did you ever find yourself laughing out loud while concocting some of the more humorous exchanges?

I cannot remember! But yes, I chuckled as I wrote. ­North Twist has been a joyful place to inhabit.  

What was it like to work with the brilliant Jon Klassen? Were his illustrations how you pictured the characters / scenes while you were writing them or did they surprise you?

It was as if Jon plucked the characters straight from my head. I would open the email attachment and think, ‘Oh look, there’s Badger at his rock table.’ And then I’d realize I’d never seen Badger at his rock table, and I’d feel this chill. I kid you not, it was uncanny. So what’s it like working with Jon? A joy. I highly recommend it! 

This book does not shy away from using “big” words or from exploring subtle and complex themes. This seems like a rare choice in children’s books these days. Why did you decide to include both in Skunk and Badger?

I love words. I love their sounds. I love the way words roll on the tongue. Some words beg to be spoken for the pure pleasure of speaking them! I wanted kids to have that fun too, so I put all that play and music and syncopation into the sentences. And yes, this means that sometimes an unusual word puts in an appearance. 

I did think a lot about the vocabulary, and the presentation of the earth science. With the vocabulary, I’ve laid clues in the text – in lists of similar words, or in what Badger is thinking – so a young reader could understand by context. With the earth science, I took a lot of time and care, thinking everything through step-by-step. 

About the subtle themes: Yeah, I see what you mean, but life IS complex and kids live within life’s complexity. I don’t want to simplify what is not simple. I try to tell the truth as clearly as I can. I’m laughing now because SKUNK AND BADGER is a story with animals in sweaters, and yet, I don’t want too much sugar-coating! 

What do you hope readers will take away from this story (aside from a newfound obsession with chickens, of course!)?

It’s true! I imagine no one, myself included, will look at chickens in the same way after reading SKUNK AND BADGER. All those tufts! The feathered booties! And there really is a purple chicken – google ‘Lavender Orpington.’ 

Mostly, I’m hoping the story sticks in someone’s thoughts after the book is finished. I’m hoping for resonance, something to think about. Maybe it’ll be some aspect of Skunk and Badger’s relationship, or maybe it’ll be that someone will look at a rock with more interest. Perhaps someone will take up the ukulele! I’d love that! I do hope that people are brought together by these stories. I have fond memories of my parents reading stories aloud to me. I’d like SKUNK AND BADGER to be part of that reading-aloud tradition.    

Electronics, cell phones, computers, etc. are conspicuously absent in this story. Why did you choose not to include them? 

I’m chuckling. Yeah, there’s not that kind of tech in these stories. Kitchen gadgets – okay. Electricity? Fine. But they’re animals, and I have difficulty believing that animals would be as caught up in their electronics. North Twist doesn’t even have cars, so there are no roads, no parking spots. If you can’t walk somewhere, it’s too far.  

Are you more like Skunk or Badger?

I am definitely both -- see very long psychoanalysis of the writer in question number 1. 

With another fantastic novel that has gained a lot of praise and attention in Canada, I have to ask, will there be another book from you soon?

EGG MARKS THE SPOT, the second Skunk and Badger story, will be published September 2021. This story takes them into the woods, and it’s got some turns! And Jon’s art is FANTASTIC. I cannot wait for you to see this book!  

What advice would you give to aspiring authors who are trying to navigate the publishing world?

To navigate the publishing world? You need an agent. That’s my short answer. Also, I think writing groups can be great. I have a dinner group of two other writers and pre-pandemic, we went out every month to catch up and talk business.  

But here’s what I try to do when I’m writing: I try my darndest to not pay attention to the publishing world. Instead, I ask myself: If I could only write one more book, what book would I write? Then I write that book. While writing, I try to find ways to let myself play. I am disciplined and I sit in the chair, but I want to have fun too! And if you’re like me, you may need some strategies for the chatter in your head – the naysaying, the recriminations, the reasons why writing this particular book is a bad idea. Finally, when I’ve done draft after draft and it’s as good as I can get it, I send it to my agent. I could not navigate publishing without my agent. 

What is your “must-read” book recommendation and what book has had the most impact and influence on your writing?

I like John Gardner’s The Art of Fiction, and Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird. Also, Robert McKee’s Story is helpful once you’ve got a very good draft. 

BUT the best thing I’ve done for my writing recently has been to find writers I love and read everything they’ve written. I’ve only been doing this a few years, but the result has felt almost magical. It’s as if I wake up a better writer. I don’t know why this works for me, but it does. 

Anyway, here are some writers from my list in case you’d like to sample a few: Jane Gardam, Kate Atkinson, Margaret Atwood, Paulette Jiles, Tim Winton, Tessa Hadley, Jim Shepherd, Tove Jansson, Rebecca Makkai, Pat Barker, Brian Doyle and Miriam Toews.

Hey, thanks for having me! It was fun to chat!

Book Review: Avatars Inc.: A Sci-Fi Anthology Edited by Ann Vandermeer

by Megan Amato

The sci-fi genre is nearly as vast as space itself, so capturing a theme across a collection of stories can be difficult. Avatars Inc attempts to address this issue by creating a timeline of 49 years within twenty-four melancholic short stories that showcase a history through the eyes of an avatar—a robot that a person can mentally control in order to navigate the world without being physically present. 

Creating tension in a story with an avatar can be tricky, as the human body is, in theory, removed from immediate danger. Tension must be derived from more personal motives. “Add Oil” introduces us to an avatar’s mechanisms along with an issue that’s familiar—the rising tension between Hong Kong and mainland China—and reminds us that fighting for justice is not only the duty of the young. “La Mer Donne” appears sweet on the surface but depicts how desensitized we have become to human suffering. This theme continues with “Oannes, From the Flood,” which was hard to follow at times, but the message was clear: people matter more than artifacts. In “Bounty,” some people have become artifacts in a world where humans are dying out, and a governmental body pays poorer humans to collect others that meet the parameters of a “Noah’s Ark.” This was simultaneously the most uncomfortable and the most satisfying story, with effective worldbuilding and characters who showed agency, despite the short nature of the tale..

If we left earth now, nature would find a way to heal. Despite our need to intervene, nature thrives on its own and “A Bird Does Not Sing Because it Has an Answer” enforces how saviour complexes, in almost any scenario, aren’t as helpful as we think they are—even the birds understand this. So do the deep-sea creatures in “Behold the Deep Never Seen,” where the protagonist wasn’t strictly an avatar. I forgave this flaw because the story is full of imagination and could possibly be the beginning of a superhero or villain origin story. “Banding” proves that we should leave nature alone, and this story will linger in my nightmares for years to come. Unlike Bikini Bottom, you won’t find talking sponges or starfish in “Banding,” but millipedes that have evolved and surpassed what humans hybridized them for. Dr. Ian Malcolm said, “Life, uh, finds a way” in Jurassic Park, and “In the Lands of the Spill,” Vietnam has been nearly claimed by the sea in the south and an oil spill in the north that has created unfriendly sentient beings. 

Despite those who insist on denying it, humans are driving climate change, and some studies claim that the damage is now irreversible. “Robot and Girl with Flowers” illustrates older generations’ apathy regarding environmental degradation, as they leave it for younger generations to fix. However, corporations and capitalism are the biggest drivers of climate change. The protagonist in “Two Watersheds” is hired by a company to mitigate climate change results in the Rockies while escaping a present she feels forced into. “Waiting for Amelia” adds the theme of how colonization prioritizes the immediate amusement of the privileged over the long term needs of Indigenous and underprivileged people. “Overburden” questions how to deal with the aftereffects of toxic environmental damage done by mining, and humanizes those in the communities that have to deal with their cancerous environment—in this case literally.  All these stories highlight how capitalism and colonization bring destruction in the name of progress and leave it for others to clean up.

Avatar Inc did not leave me with a skip in my step—nor should it. It is a collection of bleak, melancholic stories, some more hopeful than others, that remind us to be mindful of our actions. 

Book Review: Rabbit Foot Bill by Helen Humphreys

by Kim McCullough

The murder in the opening section of Rabbit Foot Bill by Helen Humphreys is based on a true-life event in Canwell, Saskatchewan in 1947. Twelve-year-old Leonard Flint is a lonely boy who befriends the town hobo, known to the disapproving townsfolk as Rabbit Foot Bill. Bill is an odd man, a loner who doesn’t seem to like people. He catches rabbits and cuts off their feet to sell to locals looking for luck. Leonard shadows Rabbit Foot Bill throughout town, and asks Bill to teach him to snare rabbits, to garden—all the things Leonard’s own father is not doing. Their odd friendship comes to a swift and violent end when Bill sinks a pair of pruning shears into the chest of Leonard’s number one bully. Bill is tried and found guilty, and sent away.

Years later, Leonard, now known as Dr. Flint, finishes university in Montreal and becomes a psychiatrist. Hired for a plum position at the Weyburn Mental Hospital back in Saskatchewan, Leonard begins his career ready to take on what seems to be a wonderful opportunity. However, it’s quickly evident that things are not going to be easy for Leonard. 

The Weyburn Mental Hospital is known at this time for research into the treatment of patients with LSD. The hospital is helmed by Dr. Christianson, who expects his doctors, including an unsure Leonard, to use LSD in order to better understand their patients’ experiences with psychedelic drugs. Being the newest and youngest of the doctors, Leonard feels like an imposter, as though his patients and the other doctors can see through him.  

Then Leonard discovers that Rabbit Foot Bill is one of the patients at the hospital, and his interest in Bill is stronger than ever. Humphreys expertly controls the tension in this section, as Leonard becomes increasingly more unstable and isolated from his peers. Leonard makes decisions that bring him ever closer to sabotaging his chance at a successful medical career. One day, under the influence of LSD, Leonard witnesses an act of brutal violence that will bring his time at the hospital to an end, but will not ease his obsession with Rabbit Foot Bill. 

Years later, Leonard’s story comes full-circle when he returns back home to Canwell seeking the truth of not only Rabbit Foot Bill’s story, but also the truth of his own traumatic past. 

The novel is beautifully written in prose both lyrical and clear. Descriptions of the Saskatchewan landscape capture both the beauty and severity of the prairies and the hard lives of those who live there. Humphreys addresses the unconscionable use of mentally ill human beings as LSD test subjects with subtlety and strength, and she ties this, and Leonard’s own mental health issues to a more universal theme of how mental health is viewed today. 

Rabbit Foot Bill is a novel that shows how the traumas and secrets of the past—unspoken words, unaddressed violence—never go away, but are always there, hiding. 

Waiting. 

Book Review: Fire on the Island by Timothy Jay Smith

By: Meghan Mazzaferro

Fire on the Island by Timothy Jay Smith takes place on the Greek island of Vourvoulos, and follows Greek-American FBI agent Nick Damigos as he investigates a series of fires drawing ever nearer to the village, while developing an unexpected relationship with a younger man. Set against the backdrop of Greece’s growing refugee crisis, and exploring tensions of religion, sexual orientation, nationality, and more, this novel seeks to explore all the elements of a conservative village that can drive someone to explode, while also proving to the reader that the village’s occupants do not deserve their fate.  

This book does an excellent job of establishing the village of Vourvoulos and its occupants. Each character has a distinct voice and story, with clear motivations and conscious actions that all come together in surprising and compelling ways. Each character’s story fits into the plot, but more importantly, every one feels as though they exist beyond the story Smith is trying to tell. Many of the storylines are compelling, and Smith excelled at making me invested in each character, even if I didn’t necessarily like all of them. 

There is a deft handling of the complex politics at play within the book’s story. Smith explores the realities of the refugee crisis, presenting the racism and xenophobic fears that plague the people of Vourvoulos without validating them. Likewise, he explores the mindsets of both immigrants and refugees with an unbiased but considerate eye, highlighting most of all the importance of understanding and kindness for other human beings regardless of their circumstances.  

Where Smith thrives is in character building and exploring the romances at play throughout the story. Nick and Takis’s relationship is well developed, engaging with the stigmas of same-sex relationships within a conservative village through a tender but realistic lens, while the turbulence of Athina and Ridi’s romance reflects the changing nature of relationships for late teens—from casual flings to real emotional connections. Likewise, Smith handles most of the novel’s subplots well, particularly those regarding Father Alexis and the church, which were some of the most engaging chapters to read. 

Where the novel falls short, however, is the mystery. While I enjoyed following Nick on his investigation, the novel lacked the sense of urgency that I needed to get invested in the growing threat to the village. Had the novel simply been a contemporary exploration of the realities of life in a Greek village for those outside the conservative norm, I think it would have excelled, but with one of the main plots concerning the rising threat of arson and the motivations behind it, I was missing a sense of franticness and suspense from either the narrative or Nick.  

The climax, in which the arsonist’s identity is revealed while the village is at the brink of destruction, also falls flat. Smith’s voice, which so perfectly captures the slow rhythm of daily life on the island, does not translate well to a startling discovery and desperate attempt to prevent disaster, and the reveal falls flat. 

That being said, Fire on the Island is an excellent novel in its character building and exploration of the complicated experience of life on a small Greek island. I would advise prospective readers to approach it as a contemporary life study exploring the politics and experience of life in Vourvoulos, and to consider the mystery a subplot rather than a major element of the story. That way you will be able to enjoy the excellence that is the rest of the book without feeling underwhelmed by the resolution of the arson plot, which is the only weak element of the book. As the main plot, this lessens the entire story, but as a subplot, it is simply one weak thread of an otherwise captivating work. 

Urban Literary Hubs vs. Rural Living

by Evan J

photo by Evan J

I’ve lived in big cities, hustling the emerging writer’s hustle, and I’ve lived in a small town without a literary event for 400 kilometres. Through these experiences, I’ve learned a few truths. I’ve learned that the term “literary hub” is appropriate, that literary opportunities (jobs, editor positions, conferences, festivals, secret holiday parties in the Coach House attic) most often occur in the city. I’ve learned that urban literary culture can be dangerous to your mental health if you’re not careful; the inundated event schedules, the literati’s ostensible snobbery, the lack of jobs and overall lack of pay, the expensive cost of living, and the critics have spoiled more than one passionate young writer. I’ve learned that the stress of the urban literary culture, as well as the overall stress of urban life, dwindles when you leave the city. But I’ve also learned that literary opportunities dwindle the further a writer is distanced from an urban centre.

If you’re trying to learn about the industry, maybe by getting an editing job to help hone your editing skills, or by searching for a mentor, then the bustle of an urban literary community offers the best chances. Though it is possible to achieve these goals while living rurally, you’ll probably be making all of your connections online because of a lack of local events (Sioux Lookout had a total of one literary event in 2019). On the other hand, the literary hubs (Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal) offer literary events every night, and before COVID (and hopefully after) this meant endless opportunities for connecting in person with established authors and editors. These gatherings are vital for those writers who need external motivation to write. Presenting your work, talking about literature over a coffee, having friends expect to read/hear your new work—these motivators are essential for many writers, and it can be difficult to create a dynamic community like this if you’re the only serious writer in your little remote town.

On the other hand, if you’re looking to cull life’s distraction and maximize your writing time, a rural life might help. Rural lifestyles have less audible and visual noise, and although these noises can sometimes be useful (I once won a literary award for a poem about the noise of a Toronto subway station), escaping them can be therapeutic. There is also a chance that if you live rurally your cost of living will be less expensive, which might free up some writing time (cheaper mortgage = less money needed = employment less necessary = more free time = more writing). But the stresses of household chores, familial obligations, and commutes exist everywhere. It doesn’t matter if you’re living rurally or in an urban location, it’s up to you to carve the necessary time into your day to write. The location of the writer doesn’t matter.

Will living rurally help you become a better writer? Probably not, though it might offer a little less stress. Will living in an urban literary hub help you become a better writer? Probably yes, as long as you’re careful and take advantage of the opportunities.

Book Review: The Truth About Melody Browne by Lisa Jewell

By Kaylie Seed

Lisa Jewell's novel The Truth About Melody Browne was first published in 2009 and is now, twelve years later, being relaunched. Jewell's novel follows Londoner and single mom Melody, who is just trying to get by in life. When Melody was nine years old, a fire destroyed her childhood home, and that is the only thing she remembers of her childhood. After going on a date to a hypnotist show, Melody starts having flashbacks of the life that she's been unable to recall. With these new flashbacks and memories, Melody decides to figure out what really happened to her in her childhood and ends up on a journey of self-discovery as she learns who Melody Browne truly is.

Not only is Melody trying to figure out who she was, she is also trying to figure out who she is in the present. Through flashbacks, the reader will have the opportunity to see Melody as she's growing up, and to see why she is the way she is as an adult. Jewell has created a brilliant story showing just how resilient we can be when life throws unexpected things our way. Melody has experienced great trauma throughout her childhood, so it only makes sense that she's repressed most of her childhood. Melody's childhood is also set during the 1970s and early 1980s, when mental health in general was not discussed openly like it is today.

Jewell’s writing was brilliant twelve years ago and still holds up today. The Truth About Melody Browne isn’t just a story about a woman who’s reclaiming her childhood, it’s a story about truth, redemption, strength, heartache, and finding out who you are and how your past impacts your present. There were a couple of things that felt like loose ends that were never tied up, but overall, this story is incredibly lovely and easy to read. The mystery behind Melody’s life will have the reader constantly wanting to know what is going to happen next and who exactly this Melody Browne is. A true master of her craft, Jewell has proven that her writing holds up a decade later, and that she will continue to create stories that leave the reader wanting more.

*Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.*

Erupting from the Submissions Pile

by Evan J

photo by Evan J

Writers who haven’t worked or volunteered for a literary journal or magazine (colloquially “lit mag”) are at a disadvantage because they haven’t witnessed the submission and selection process first hand. This article is here to fix that. First, you’ll get a rundown of how the submission and selection process usually happens. Second, you’ll get a few tips to help liberate your work from the pile.  

Depending on the lit mag, your submission is likely pushed into a pile with 50–500 other submissions. A team of readers now tackles the job of sorting the pile into no-ways and maybes, usually at a rate of 5–10% for the latter. (It’s worth noting that these readers are usually volunteers, sometimes highly skilled writers and editors, sometimes undergrad students just entering the literary field. Sometimes they are reading for only one short week-long period when the submission window closes, and sometimes they are reading all year round.) Next, these 10% of maybe submissions are read by a senior editor and further refined down to about 5%. Depending on the magazine, the final 5% are either accepted, or passed on to an editorial board of professional writers, which completes the final selection. When the dust settles, lit mags accept about 1–5% of submissions, and between three to twelve staff have judged the work.

Now that you know the process and can see how tough it is to make it through all the cuts, here are three points of advice to help your work better run the submission and selection gauntlet. 

Submission guidelines are often long and boring reads, but there are two recurring requests worth underlining. First, lit mags want you to know their vibe by having read the recent issues. Second, lit mags want to be surprised, thrilled, shocked, captivated, etc. What they are saying is that they want to remember you, to have your metaphors cut them off in traffic, to hear your voice in their waffles during Sunday brunch with grandma. The trick for achieving this? Actually reading the recent issues. When you’re done that, submit something appropriately alternative. And by appropriately alternative I mean something that pushes the editors’ minds, not something they’d have to change their layouts and readership to publish. The Literary Review of Canada just doesn’t have the space to publish a long poem. Brick’s audience isn’t down for your essay punctuated with eggplant emojis. 

Next, do the details right, but don’t belabour the small stuff. While there have been times when I’ve rejected a good piece because numerous punctuation and spelling errors made it too confusing to read, there have been more times when I’ve accepted a piece with small errors because the content was brilliant. While errors are indeed distracting and give the impression that you aren’t serious about your craft, many lit mags are willing to fix small mistakes if the content is worthy. So distribute your energy appropriately, get the details correct, but focus your time on the content. Good content remains paramount.

Finally, remember that lit mag editors are real people. Their preferences are personal and changing and completely out of your control. You can submit beautiful, unique, powerful, blunt, relevant writing, and the editors still might not connect with it. And it’s nobody’s fault. It might take two or three or twenty submission attempts until your work finally aligns with the editors’ minds. All you can do is improve your craft and play the numbers game by submitting again.

Note that the comments and views expressed in this article are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect Cloud Lake Literary’s opinions or thoughts.

Book Review: Greenwood by Michael Christie

by Dahl Botterill

Two things lie at the heart of Michael Christie's Greenwood: trees, and family. Jake Greenwood is a tremendously overqualified Forest Guide on Greenwood Island (no relation), one of the last bastions of truly ancient trees to survive a worldwide environmental collapse known as the Great Withering. She has no surviving family, no history, and an extensive education made largely useless in the face of ecological disaster. What she has, for as long as she can hold onto her tenuous position on the Island, are the trees she loves dearly.

When Jake discovers that the forest she loves may be dying, and a book surfaces that might provide her with the personal history she's never known, the story begins to unfold in generational layers, first introducing Jake's parents, and working its way backwards through time as though through the concentric rings of a tree. Upon reaching the influential core of Jake's past, the book shifts temporal direction and finds its way back to her present. 

The story is beautifully written, and each generation not only adds to Jake's rich family history but provides a different approach to the persistent presence of trees. From timber barons to environmentalists, and touching on many attitudes in between, the reader finds themselves looking at the subject of trees from countless angles, all of which provide insight into Jake's own relationships with trees and family.

Multigenerational family dramas don't usually appeal to me as a reader, and I might very well not have picked this up if not for my previous experiences with Christie's writing, but I'm very glad that I did. The writing is top shelf, and the story drew me back again and again. Every one of Michael Christie's characters is fully realized, and their influence is felt even when you've moved on to a new generation's tale.

While each generation is revisited during the back half of the novel, these two segments—one on the journey towards the core and another on the way back to Jake and our near future—are the full extent of the reader's time spent with each generation. This format plays nicely with the concept of trees and their rings as you track the family across a tree's core, but it also leads to each tale feeling strong in and of itself; while there is a larger structure being built as you progress through Greenwood, each piece could stand on its own. The result is an elegant picture of family, made up of individuals, of generations, of history, and—in the end—somehow more.

Book Review: Skunk and Badger by Amy Timberlake, pictures by Jon Klassen

By Christine McFaul

A roommate? Not possible! Yet, here is Skunk, knocking persistently on Badger’s door and insisting they are meant to be housemates. Despite Badger’s best efforts to stop the inevitable, Skunk and his dilapidated red suitcase manage to charm their way across the threshold of Aunt Lula’s brownstone…and a classic odd couple is born.

Skunk is lively. He bounces. He skips. He whistles tunes and clangs pans. He refuses to stay put in Special Guest Closets or to respect the boundaries of private Rock Rooms. How can Badger, a serious geologist, be expected to complete Important Rock Work under such conditions?  

The main plot contemplates this dilemma while subplots provide beautiful moments along the winding journey to friendship. The subplots, at turns silly (such as the saga of “rocket potato”  complete with theme song, or the mysterious exploits generated by the silent music from Skunk’s chicken-whistle) and at turns profound (such as a “hope-filled” debate over Shakespeare’s Henry V, or a subtle contemplation of the effects of abiding loneliness) create erudite layers within a deceptively simple story of friendship.  

When the reader, along with Skunk and Badger, have made their way through a grand adventure, a spray gone wrong, and more chickens than one would expect to encounter in such a tale, they will, undoubtedly, realize that despite significant differences (or perhaps because of them), great friendships are indeed possible.

With shades of Arnold Lobel’s Frog and Toad and Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows, Timberlake’s Skunk and Badger has the feel of a throwback. The plot creeps up slow and subtle, the humour is dry as toast, and the story proves Timberlake a master of language. Klassen’s line drawings are perfectly paired, complementing the classic feel of the text and bringing the warmth and humour of these quirky characters to life.

Certain to delight readers of any age, Skunk and Badger is a great option for a chapter-by-chapter read aloud. It would also be an excellent choice for confident readers in the recommended 7–10 year-old age category. 

Bonus: An audiobook version of Skunk and Badger is also available and generating buzz for being particularly well done!

Book Review: The Break by Katherena Vermette

By Kaylie Seed

Content warning: rape, sexual assault, violence towards women, graphic scenes. 

Katherena Vermette's gripping story The Break follows a Métis family in Winnipeg’s North End, an area notorious for gang violence, as they come to terms with a horrific assault on one of their family members. Told from the perspectives of various women spanning four generations, The Break chronicles not only what happens to Emily Traverse but also the stories of her family throughout each of the generations. The reader also hears from Tommy, a Métis police officer who is learning how to reconcile his racial identity after not knowing how to present himself since he was a child. Lastly, the reader learns about Phoenix, who is a homeless teenager recently out of a youth detention centre, and how she ends up entwined in gang violence.

This intergenerational family saga looks at how the power of family love and collectivism can help individuals overcome adversity. Vermette has crafted a story that is incredibly heart-wrenching, but for good reason. It shows just how resilient a Métis family, particularly the women, are when it comes to trauma. Each of the characters in The Break have their own struggles yet when they come together as a family there is nothing that will stand in their way.

Vermette brings up topics such as racism, homelessness, alcoholism, gang violence, violence towards women, collectivism, family bonds, intergenerational trauma, and resilience. There are so many themes that Vermette weaves throughout The Break and they all have their place throughout this stunning novel. Vermette’s novel is not an easy-to-read book, yet it is one that I highly recommend. The Break will break your heart, but it is meant to open your eyes to just how resilient and important family truly is.

Book Review: Savage Gerry by John Jantunen

by Matthew Del Papa

“A thrilling apocalyptic tale that rushes from the inside of a prison to a world that feels even more dangerous. The End couldn’t have come at a better time for Gerald Nichols.”

There is something strangely liberating in reading novels about hardship and suffering. The worse a character has it, the more we, as readers, enjoy their struggles. Some argue that the darker the circumstances the more satisfying the victory…and, given the chaos in the world right now, the timing couldn’t be better for John Jantunen’s powerfully grim Savage Gerry.

Published by ECW Press, this 336-page novel is a quintessentially Canadian tale of suffering and sacrifice. There is redemption too—for its title character, if not for the broken world which spawned him. As per the jacket blurb:

Dubbed “Savage Gerry” by the media, Gerald Nichols became a folk hero after he shot the men who’d killed his wife and then fled into the northern wilds with his thirteen-year-old son, Evers. Five years after his capture, he’s serving three consecutive life sentences when the power mysteriously goes out at the prison. The guards flee, leaving the inmates to die, but Gerald’s given a last-minute reprieve by a jailbreak. Released into a mad world populated by murderous bands of biker gangs preying on scattered settlements of survivors, his only hope of ever reuniting with his son is to do what he swore he never would: become “Savage Gerry” all over again.

Jantunen, whose brief bio asserts he “has lived in almost every region of Canada,” writes of hardship and struggle with a sort of visceral, first-hand knowledge seldom seen in this country. Readers can feel that the novel was “greatly informed” by the author’s “experiences trying to come to terms with the opioid crisis” and its “disproportionally harsh toll on […] northern communities.”

Though the premise is deceptively simple (surviving the “End” times is nothing new), the character of Gerald Nichols is complex in the extreme. A misunderstood man—one who often works against his own best interests—Gerry travels through a broken landscape hoping to become whole. Driven by love and whipped by regret, he sets out to find his estranged son and protect the boy by any means necessary. Gerald Nichols may be a killer, a monster, and the kind of man even his fellow convicts try to avoid, but when the world’s burning, there is no one better prepared to stand against Armageddon’s coming madness than someone who’s already lost everything.

Set against the backdrop of post-apocalypse Ontario, this brutally honest novel shines a spotlight on the too-often shadowed underbelly of Canada. Universal truths are revealed in Savage Gerry. There is a parallel between Jantunen’s conflicted titular hero and our too-often divided nation. By focusing on the very real costs of survival—on both a personal and communal level—the novel reveals the price Canadians currently pay to maintain our so-called civilized society. 

No author currently writing in Canada pushes bigger ideas than John Jantunen. His is a unique perspective. Abrasive and often shocking, the author’s novels are firmly rooted in hardship and feature the sort of hardscrabble existence most us are happier to never think about. 

As real, painful, and shocking as a knife in the belly, Jantunen’s latest work glories in exposing prejudice and inequality. The author never once shies away from the ugly and utterly senseless violence common to society’s downtrodden, including the shocking damage done by addiction and poverty. He catalogues the cancerous consequences of fear, hate, and desperation with an almost sociopathic sickness . There are no shallow, politically correct sympathies in Savage Gerry’s pages. Rather than peddle polite platitudes or cheery “road to Damascus” conversions, Jantunen forces his readers to question their core beliefs and most base assumptions—all the while telling an enthralling end-of-the-world adventure yarn in the vein of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. 

Savage Gerry, the author’s fourth novel with ECW (after 2014’s Cipher, 2016’s A Desolate Splendor, and 2018’s No Quarter) is, on one level, a rip-roaring post-apocalyptic story told with passion and skill. But, for those willing to read a little deeper, there is another, much more disturbing layer to the book, with Jantunen eviscerating the illusions every one of us holds dear. By exposing the sacrifices necessary to prolong the peace—or the pretense of peace—the author weighs civilization’s collective good against Gerald Nichols’ happiness.

Savage Gerry asks three questions: How much can one man fight? What lines will he cross to protect everything that is important to him? And, can a person ever come back from such raw savagery? In doing so, Jantunen merrily exposes the dark and ugly underbelly of “Canada the Good,” imagining just how far modern society can fall when given the smallest push. 

Taking on the Sisyphean task of highlighting the hypocrisy of conventional CanLit—with its celebrated “nation-building” and congratulatory affirmations of history’s “upward trend”—Savage Gerry is a blistering middle finger to the establishment’s cherished self-delusions and safe mediocrity. 

Apocalyptic in all the right ways, John Jantunen’s novel is devastatingly honest—almost savage. Important “literature” shouldn’t be this fun.

Savage Gerry is available April 2021.

Book Review: The Skin We're In by Desmond Cole

by Kaylie Seed

With his book The Skin We’re In, Canadian journalist and author Desmond Cole has put Canada in its place by calling out the racism and colonialism that dominates this country’s institutions. It’s time for Canadians to stop pushing aside the knowledge that we are a racist country, and to open our eyes to the white supremacy that resides in all of our institutions. In The Skin We’re In, Cole chronicles the year of 2017 in Canada, touching on the topics of government, police brutality, immigration, systematic racism, the school system, colonialism, Indigenous peoples, white supremacy, his own personal experiences with the Toronto Star, and Black Lives Matter. There is a lot in this book that needs to be unpacked and relearned. It will make you uncomfortable and it will force you to accept that Canada is not as high and mighty as it likes to think it is.

This 220-page nonfiction read is not only informative, it is incredibly engaging. Cole has written this as an eye-opening book with tough topics, yet its language is easy to read and understand. This makes The Skin We’re In very accessible to many readers, underlining the intent to have many people read and learn from this important resource in anti-racism work. I cannot say enough how amazing this read is. The Skin We’re In has reminded me of my own white privilege and of how all institutions in Canada were created for my benefit as a white person. This is something really hard to come to terms with because this has been taught and normalized from a young age, but geez, it is incredibly unfair that all human beings still aren’t treated equally. Unpacking biases won’t happen overnight but reading books like The Skin We’re In and searching for resources to add to your anti-racism toolbox is a place to start.

I recommend that all Canadians pick up this book and stop living in ignorance. Racism and colonialism are here and we must change our institutions to benefit everyone and make Black Lives Matter.

Are Literary Journals Still Important?

by Evan J

Photo by Evan J

The main critiques of literary journals are: that they are too niche, that their readership is too small to remain culturally relevant, and that the state-sponsored funding that props them up is a waste of taxpayer money. If you agree with the above critiques, you are probably missing the point of literary journals. And that point is community.

It’s true, sales of Canadian literary journals are so low that their operation relies primarily on financial donations, operating grants, and volunteers. But measuring the value of literary journals by sales alone is like measuring the value of a library simply by how many books are withdrawn. Literary journals, like libraries, offer a whole lot more than casual reading.

For starters, emerging artists rely on them. Literary journals are a writer’s first proving ground. Having work published in a journal means that it has been vetted by professional editors and has risen above the other submissions—a major accomplishment, considering the healthy volume of submissions that literary journals receive. This vetting process is also relevant to many grant applications catering to emerging writers. Typically, grants require applicants to have a minimum number of pieces published by literary journals before applying, meaning that publication in literary journals adds literal value to a writer’s future. ­And behind all of these facts lies credibility and confidence, qualities vital to the growth of emerging writers. Qualities that literary journals provide.

Granting bodies such as the Ontario Arts Council (OAC) also rely on literary journals for grant distribution. Literary journals, like most magazines, inherently foster editors. With the sheer quantity of submissions that they must sort and vet, these editors have a keen knowledge of writing quality and writing trends. The OAC utilizes this expertise by partnering with literary journals in order to help distribute their Recommender Grants for Writers. 

The vetting process is also professionally important for the administrative and professional sides of the literary community. Book publishers, literary agents, festival organizers, anthologizers, and other literary professionals are reading literary journals, scanning for quality, remembering names, and surveilling trends. I’m not saying that publishing in literary journals will get you an agent, a book deal, and a national reading tour. But if you’re hoping for your manuscript to emerge from the slush pile, the exposure of your name and work in a literary journal can increase your chances.

As for the readership of literary journals, yes, it is small. But it is not irrelevant. The readership is largely made up of other writers and academics. These are people connected to artistic and intellectual communities around the world, and literary journals are a means of idea communication within and between these communities.

While the financial arguments for literary journals are admittedly poor, most journals still do pay honorariums to their contributors, and employ one or two managing editors as well. These are people undertaking their dream jobs of working with words every day, even if it is for poverty-line wages.

There is also an argument for the creation of indirect jobs and job training. The creation of a magazine requires submission readers, proofreaders, layout designers, website designers, content editors, and administrative support. Some larger, more financially solvent literary journals pay a team of freelancers to fill these roles. Most small literary journals complete these tasks with a team of volunteers, people passionate about literature and willing to learn these important skills. For this latter group, literary journals exist as a place to learn, and a place to test the publishing industry before dedicating themselves to education programs or careers. They are also a place for learners to make connections with established authors and editors, and acquire references that are essential for job, post-secondary, mentorship, residency, and grant applications.

Lastly, it’s important to note that literary journals don’t just publish an issue and then call it a day. Literary journals are also physically involved in the community. Most host launch parties where authors gather to read and support one another. Some of the larger literary journals sponsor live events like interviews, panels, and festival events with their editors and/or contributors. Many run literary contests. Several of them host regular writing workshops in the local community. Effectively, literary journals create the moments when literary correspondence, friendships, and even future mentorships begin. These are moments that define community.

So yes, literary journals are very important.

Book Review: The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

by Kaylie Seed

*Content Warning: suicide, self-harm*

Matt Haig has created a world that sits between life and death, one that is unknown and experienced by few. 

As the story begins, Nora Seed is just going through the motions of life. Feeling like there is not a lot going for her and that she has let everyone down (including herself), Nora’s life is nothing but regret and sadness. When bad thing after bad thing begins happening to Nora, she decides there is no point to sticking around in this life, and she attempts suicide. And then Nora wakes up to find herself inside a library with the librarian from her high school—and she has no idea what she is about to get into. The reader will learn that Nora is in between life and death while in the library, and then follow her as she has the opportunity to try out different versions of her life that could have happened, had she made different choices.

The concept of The Midnight Library is fascinating, however the characters lack depth, and the reader may find it difficult to connect with Nora. Nora can leave one feeling annoyed by her whiny demeanour, and because of this she is not an easy character to like. All of the characters feel very one dimensional, making it hard to feel empathy towards any of them as the story progresses.

While the story fell short, the themes in The Midnight Library are well-thought out and interesting. Haig focuses on Nora learning from her regrets as she tries out different versions of her life. This allows her to let go of those expectations she had for herself and find peace in who she is. Haig also focuses heavily on mental health and suicide, two topics that still have stigma attached to them. 

It is a notable aspect of this book that it attempts to normalize conversation surrounding mental health and suicide and allow for conversation between readers. While these topics can be difficult for some to read and reflect upon, if you’re in the right mindset, this is a lovely book to use as a tool to reflect upon your own life. All in all, the story itself fell short and the characters were unsatisfying, but the concept was interesting. The Midnight Library feels like a tale that wasn’t quite fully formed yet has the potential to be something amazing. 

Readers who enjoyed The Time Traveller's Wife would enjoy this read!

Book Review: Calling My Spirit Back by Elaine Alec

By Kaylie Seed

Author Elaine Alec bares her soul in her memoir Calling My Spirit Back. I’ve always found reviewing memoirs to be difficult. When someone has put their life out there for others to read in such a personal way, who am I to say whether it is good or not?  However, I’m beyond happy that I’ve had the opportunity to read and review Alec’s memoir because it is truly a phenomenal read. Alec is from the Syilx and Secwepemc Nations and she wrote this memoir to share her trials and tribulations with the world, and to have others use this book as a tool in their own journey through life.

Alec discusses how residential schools impacted her through intergenerational trauma; how her parents’ and grandparents’ traumas affected her; and how getting back to her roots helped shape her into the woman she is today. Alec’s entire life is on display unapologetically, leaving the reader to empathize with everything that she has experienced. Her prose is powerful. She paints picture after picture, showing the way she has lived through so much with an abundance of grace. Mixing heartbreak with happiness, Alec includes a lot of detail around tradition, and how this guided her to finding her spirit after it had been lost for so long. Calling My Spirit Back reminds readers that it is never too late to take a new path in life and learn from their past.

Alec goes beyond telling her own story and gives the reader tools for how to cultivate safe spaces for others in need of finding their spirit. Alec’s four protocols for cultivating a safe space are: promote inclusion, promote validation, promote well-being, and promote freedom. These protocols are tools that readers can use in their daily lives to help make the space around them safe for others.

I’m absolutely honoured that Elaine reached out to see if I would be interested in reading her memoir. I felt a great sense of love while reading her words, and I hope that others find solace in what she has to say. I look forward to seeing what she does next on her journey.

*Thank you to Elaine Alec for this complimentary copy of Calling My Spirit Back!

Book Review: Now Then and Every When by Rysa Walker

By Dahl Botterill

Tyson hails from the year 2304, where he has been raised from birth (and shaped even before that) to be a time-traveling historian. Madi lives in the year 2136 and has accidentally managed to stumble into time travel before it's been invented. Their stories become intertwined when something happens to break history as they know it—something that may fall at their time-traveling feet. 

Rysa Walker's Now, Then, and Everywhen is a big, sprawling time travel adventure that hints at more questions than it answers. The bulk of the story jumps between Tyson and Madi, each surrounded by their own cast of supporting characters and influences, and each traveling in time independently of one another. For Tyson, time travel is his everyday reality; he and his co-historians at CHRONOS explore history in the flesh, trying to capture those nuances that don't generally survive the telling. For Madi, it's a dangerous game; she's literally fallen into time travel and is exploring it without a safety net of any sort (either for herself or for the course of history).

The book is a prequel to Walker's CHRONOS series, and while it certainly isn't necessary to have read her previous books, I'm sure one would benefit from being familiar with the world she has created. The book is peppered with references and moments that feel like they carry unseen weight, and this can leave the new reader feeling like they're not getting the whole story. Now, Then, and Everywhen stands on its own, but the most intriguing of these references generate interest and questions that the book itself never answers. Whether this is because they've been addressed in previous books or because they may someday be addressed in future novels is unclear. Time travel makes for a tricky focal point and there's certainly some risk inherent in putting it under a literary microscope—risk that Walker has embraced, more to her audience's benefit than not.

Now, Then, and Everywhen is an often entertaining and occasionally compelling read, but it suffers a little from its size and scope. There is a tremendous amount of set-up involving a daunting number of characters, and many of the most intriguing questions aren't effectively answered by the book’s conclusion. The result is a novel that feels like a paradox of its own; it runs a little long and yet ends too soon.

Walker's new book won't be for everybody, but it has lots to offer to the right sort of reader.

Another Scrivener vs. Word Debate

By Evan J

Photo by Evan J

Scrivener vs. Word. Who cares? You do! You’re the writer, the genius with that masterpiece idea bouncing around upstairs. But along with your brilliance comes responsibility. You must consider how best to transfer your knowledge from brain to digital page. The question then becomes: what word processing software is best for you?

For those who don’t already know, Scrivener is word processing software designed specifically for novelists. It launched in 2007 and has become a preferred writing software because of one major feature: organization. The program houses all of your files—from chapters to setting descriptions to research—in one accessible workspace. Navigating between files is simplified by having a list of files and folders directly beside your primary writing screen. The rearrangement of scenes and chapters is drag-and-drop easy. The interface is not littered with endless formatting options that you’ll never use. The entire program is visually clean.

The downside? Unlike big tech companies that offer in-house cloud services (OneDrive, iCloud, Google Drive), if you’re using Scrivener and want to flip-flop from computer to cellphone, you must save your files to a file-hosting service such as Dropbox. While this extra step works seamlessly for most users, the use of an additional external program has confused some of the less tech-savvy users.

That’s Scrivener in a nutshell. Then there’s Microsoft Word, the word processing monarch. 

Word has been around for over thirty years, is the world’s leading word processing software, and is designed for handling nearly all text-based projects—essays, cover letters, pamphlets, you name it. And that’s probably Word’s best quality: versatility. It has a feature for everything.

If we’re talking about purchasing cost, you probably already own Word. It’s that popular. You’ve also probably been using it for years. There will be no learning curve here, no time dedicated to finding a comfort level in some new software.

Word is also the preference for poets. Of course, Scrivener can be used for all creative writing, including poetry, but the reality is that most magazines and book publishers still want your poems formatted with Word-specific guidelines. By just sticking with Word in the first place, you'll save time by avoiding the task of reformatting.

However, organization is key to novel writing and it can get pretty difficult to keep track of all the Word files you’re using. It’s by no means impossible to do this, but since your scenes, sketches, and research are often saved as single Word files in various folders, there will inevitably be writing sessions where you spend more time trying to find the correct file than actually writing your book.

Finally, it’s worth noting that both of these programs cost money. If you’re starting with a new computer and can only afford one word processing software, the everyday utility of Word is the way to go. But if you’re a dedicated novelist and are willing to give Scrivener a shot, you’ll likely be impressed with the investment. And if neither Word nor Scrivener float your boat, you can always give the Ulysses software a shot. Or a typewriter.

In Conversation with Emily St. John Mandel author of The Glass Hotel

With Kaylie Seed

 

Photo by Sarah Shatz

 

The setting within The Glass Hotel goes between Canada and the United States. What kind of research did you have to do to gain insight into all of the different places your characters find themselves?

I hold dual citizenship between the United States and Canada—I was born and raised in Canada, but my father’s originally from California—which makes crossing the border a fairly frictionless experience. I think that because I’m used to moving easily across that border, my books tend to do the same thing. I grew up on and around Vancouver Island, so I didn’t need to do much in the way of geographical research. I’ve been living in New York City for the past seventeen years, so I know the city very well, but something I tried to convey in the book is that people living at different income levels live in fundamentally different cities, so I did have to do some research into what it might be like to be a billionaire in New York City. (Things like the existence of house managers, and how many housekeepers you need per thousand square feet for your mansion, that kind of thing.)

The only setting that required sustained research was the container ship. I read a fascinating book on the topic—Ninety Percent of Everything, by Rose George—and spent a lot of time reading blogs and watching YouTube videos by seafarers. 

There are a few different characters that the reader follows throughout The Glass Hotel. Can you tell our readers where your inspiration for Vincent and Jonathan came from and how you developed their distinct voices?

 I’ll start with Jonathan. Every character in this book is completely fictional, but the central crime in the story is closely based on Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme, which imploded in New York City in 2008. I was fascinated by that crime, but the thing is, while the crime was interesting, the criminal was not. If you read prison interviews with Bernie Madoff, he’s an utterly uninteresting figure, just a garden-variety sociopath blaming everyone else for his downfall. So with Jonathan, I wanted to create a character who’d committed this horrible act, but who wasn’t completely two-dimensional. He’s a criminal, but he’s capable of kindness, and he truly loved his first wife. 

Once I realized that the story was going to revolve around a financial crime, I realized that by default, I was writing about money as a theme. That became an organizing principle of the book: I decided early on that every section had to be about money in one way or another. I’ve always been interested in the phenomenon of trophy wives, these young women who monetize their beauty and make a very clear and mercenary choice in who they marry. I liked the idea of a wildly intelligent trophy wife, because that just wasn’t a character I’d seen before, and that’s where Vincent came from.

The Glass Hotel touches on some heavy topics including addiction. Why did you decide to explore this subject and what do you hope readers took away with them from your story?

 I've known a number of people over the years with addiction issues, and have a lot of sympathy for their struggles. I didn’t write the story with a message in mind; I just hope that people find it to be an interesting book.

Writing a novel is challenging, particularly one of this caliber. What did you learn while going through the process of creating and writing The Glass Hotel? Either regarding the topics within your novel and/or about yourself as an author?

This novel was very, very difficult to write. My previous novels only took about two and a half years to write; The Glass Hotel took five. I learned a lot about perseverance. There were a couple of moments where I contemplated turning the novel into two unrelated novellas—one of them a ghost story set partly on a ship, the other one about a Ponzi scheme—because I didn’t feel like I had the skill or the talent to pull all of the threads together into a unified whole. 

You have written a fantastic novel that has gained a lot of praise and attention: will there be another book from you soon and if so, can you tell us a bit about it?

Thank you for calling it fantastic! There will be another book, but probably not soon. I’ve been focused on a TV project lately, which I’ve very much enjoyed—I’m involved in adapting The Glass Hotel as a limited series. 

What advice would you give to aspiring authors who are working on their first few novels and are trying to navigate the publishing world?

I think an important idea starting point is that you shouldn’t assume the publishing world is closed to you. There’s a false narrative out there that in order to be published, you have to live in the right place, or know the right people, or have the right degree, or go to the right parties. It just isn’t true. I mean, let's be clear, I assume those things don’t hurt, but I don’t have a high school diploma, let alone an MFA, and I knew absolutely no one when I was starting out. My first agent found me in her slush pile. I do live in Brooklyn, but to be honest I’ve never perceived any career benefit from this; I love living here because it’s an interesting and beautiful place, but also it’s an expensive place to live and even before Covid I wasn’t going to book parties (nine out of ten of them are super boring!)

Other practical matters: you will likely never have enough time to write, because you’ll need to fit your writing around the margins of your day job, or your childcare responsibilities, or whatever else life throws at you, so it’s important to be ruthless with your time. In the pre-pandemic world, when I used to see friends, I had a pretty firm rule that if I had lunch plans with a friend on a Monday, I probably didn’t have time to see another friend for at least a couple days afterward, because I needed to get some writing done. I mostly stopped going to book parties years ago, because like I said they’re usually boring, and also they take up too much time. Also I don't watch nearly as much television as I'd like to, because there just aren't enough hours in the day. 

Related: if you tell yourself that you can only work under particular circumstances—e.g. in your home office, at a certain hour of the day, with a certain amount of time available to you to work, etc.—you’ll get much less work done than if you can train yourself to write anywhere, under almost any circumstances. (Can you write for a half-hour at your kitchen table with noise-blocking headphones while your kid’s watching Sesame Street? Or assuming this pandemic ends, could you grab 45 minutes at Starbucks on your lunch break?) 

What is your “must-read” book recommendation and what book has had the most impact and influence on your writing?

I think the books that have influenced me the most are Irene Nemirovsky’s Suite Française, Dan Chaon’s Await Your Reply, and Norman Mailer’s The Executioner’s Song. I find Mailer pretty hit-or-miss and dislike several of his books, but The Executioner’s Song has a clarity and lucidity about it that changed the way I write. Suite Française is my idea of a perfect novel; again, that quality of clarity and lucidity that I value so highly, and in a kind of deceptive simplicity that’s a pleasure to read and really hard to pull off. Await Your Reply changed the way I think about structure and point of view

Book Review: The Mirror & the Light by Hilary Mantel

By Kaylie Seed

Hilary Mantel’s trilogy depicting the life of Thomas Cromwell, minister to King Henry VIII, comes to an end with its much-anticipated final instalment, The Mirror & the Light. The first two books in this Tudor trilogy, Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, set the stage for the epic conclusion to this tale. Eleven years after the release of Wolf Hall, fans of Mantel’s beloved series can now read about the last four years of Cromwell’s life. While what happened to Cromwell is well documented, Mantel does an excellent job of recreating the scene while using her creative freedom to write an epic of historical fiction.

The Mirror & the Light takes place in England in May of 1536, just after the beheading of Anne Boleyn. The story then follows Thomas Cromwell for the next four years, until his death. Mantel seems to have somehow travelled to 1536, and writes with convincing historical accuracy. At the same time she adds a depth to these real-life figures that is bound to engage readers. In staying true to the Tudor time period,  Mantel includes language of the era. This can make the novel slightly difficult for readers, but with a little focus The Mirror & the Light is an entertaining read.

Mantel tells of Thomas Cromwell’s untimely fate in a way that will keep readers on the edge of their seat until the very end. While Thomas Cromwell is a historical figure that anyone can read up on, Mantel has  woven in elements of fiction to add a richness to the story of this man’s life. Throughout its 800 pages, Mantel manages to keep The Mirror & the Light relevant and compelling, making this novel one that will capture the reader’s attention the entire time.  

Mantel has a way with words that is effortless and allows for a comfortable reading experience. It will be exciting to see what she does next!

*Thank you to HarperCollins Canada for the complimentary copy of this e-book!

Book Review: The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel

By Kaylie Seed

The Glass Hotel came out in early 2020 and was shortlisted for the prestigious Scotiabank Giller Prize, which is awarded annually to a Canadian author. The Glass Hotel was certainly deserving of this recognition, as it is incredibly well written and engaging. The story begins when a frightening message is left on the window of the Hotel Caiette—a glass and cedar hotel in a fictional Vancouver Island town. As the story progresses, the reader learns about an international Ponzi scheme that has connections with the hotel.

Mandel’s main character is Vincent, a young woman who is doing her best to get through life while running from the past. Vincent is a bartender at the Hotel Caiette, and is an incredibly independent woman. She is also someone who will make choices that benefit herself first. Vincent sees a chance to escape her life when she meets Jonathan Alkaitis, an older man looking for some companionship. As the story progresses, the reader learns about Vincent’s life with Jonathan, and what happens when they get swept up in a legal battle.

Mandel dives into themes of addiction and family dysfunction, and also looks at how one person’s life can change dramatically, how nothing is ever set in stone. The Glass Hotel is a great story that shows us not only how our lives can change in an instant, but also how they can evolve over time. Vincent’s life illustrates this throughout the novel.

As The Glass Hotel  jumps around through past, present, and future, it conveys to us how short life truly is. At times the reader may wonder where the story is going, or what is happening—it might take some time to figure out the puzzle of this story, but in the end it will leave the reader satisfied. Emily St. John Mandel will entice readers to continue reading well past their bedtime.