AltWeeklies Wire
'Amphibian' is a Sweet and Smart Book for Optimists of Any Agenew
Nine-year-old Phineas Walsh, the narrator of Carla Gunn's Amphibian, makes you feel like you've been cornered on the playground by a sensitive and intelligent young boy who's going to tell you his observations about the world. Hilarious and affecting, he's something special.
NOW Magazine |
Zoe Whittall |
08-17-2009 |
Fiction
'Red Dog' is Truly a Poet's Novelnew
I love it when poets take on a sprawling narrative, plumping up sentences with images so striking you feel like taking out your highlighter.
NOW Magazine |
Zoe Whittall |
11-03-2008 |
Fiction
'Through Black Spruce' is a Muscular Novel Worthy of All the Hypenew
Joseph Boyden's second novel is stunning at being a million things at once, but at heart it's a page-turning campfire story told by one person to another in hushed tones, heartbeat to heartbeat.
NOW Magazine |
Zoe Whittall |
11-03-2008 |
Fiction
'So Many Ways To Sleep Badly' is an Original, Visceral Reading Experiencenew
I give it extra points for including a sex-worker theme that avoids all the overdone stereotypes.
NOW Magazine |
Zoe Whittall |
10-06-2008 |
Fiction
'Innercity Girl Like Me' Reads Like a Memoir But It's Fictionnew
The market is flooded with terribly written sensationalist survival stories, and Innercity Girl Like Me seems to aspire to be one of them.
NOW Magazine |
Zoe Whittall |
08-04-2008 |
Fiction
'Delible' is a Haunting Storynew
Vancouver writer Anne Stone's third novel is inventive and lushly rendered.
NOW Magazine |
Zoe Whittall |
09-07-2007 |
Fiction
'Girl' Talknew
Serano's background as a biologist, performer and transsexual activist makes Whipping Girl insightful, in-depth and multi-faceted.
NOW Magazine |
Zoe Whittall |
08-24-2007 |
Nonfiction
'Skin' Tightnew
Set aside an afternoon and read this novel in one sitting -- you won't be able to stop once you've started.
NOW Magazine |
Zoe Whittall |
06-04-2007 |
Fiction
'Radiance' Glowsnew
Lambert's first novel gently detonates the emotional land mines dormant in diverse characters.
NOW Magazine |
Zoe Whittall |
02-16-2007 |
Fiction
Tags: Radiance, Shaena Lambert
Big Bangnew
This is a polished and marvellously textured first book of short fiction -- can't wait for his first novel.
NOW Magazine |
Zoe Whittall |
02-05-2007 |
Fiction
Tags: Bang Crunch, Neil Smith
Tender Merciesnew
Walking is a transformative read for anyone who has ever thought about what it means to forgive.
NOW Magazine |
Zoe Whittall |
12-22-2006 |
Nonfiction
Craven Imagesnew
This book is like staring at the unkempt mid-20s guy with a bad haircut scribbling in his journal on the subway: kind of sad, but you keep staring.
NOW Magazine |
Zoe Whittall |
12-18-2006 |
Fiction
Fierce Beastsnew
The stories in this collection are somewhat disturbing, offering a caustic look at the plight of angry young guys across Canada.
NOW Magazine |
Zoe Whittall |
05-25-2006 |
Fiction
Tags: Indigenous Beasts, Nathan Sellyn
A for Zednew
Zed is the definition of provocative, if you can handle it -- and you should try.
NOW Magazine |
Zoe Whittall |
03-30-2006 |
Fiction
Tags: Elizabeth McClung, Zed
