Once again, a knockout! I love Emily Austin so much, and after now reading her third novel, I'm convinced she could publish her grocery list and it woOnce again, a knockout! I love Emily Austin so much, and after now reading her third novel, I'm convinced she could publish her grocery list and it would be worth the read. Sigrid, like Gilda and Enid before her, is a character that's full of more emotion than she knows what to do with. Unlike her previous 2 books which focus more on anxiety, this novel focuses on the difficult topic of suicide, but does so with thought, intention, and care. We Could Be Rats uses a new narrative structure that added to the depth of the sister relationship at the core of this book - the more you read this book, the more it makes sense, and at the end you're left with a beautiful portrait of two sisters who handled an unpredictable and challenging childhood in very different ways. Anyone who's lived in a Conservative Canadian town will find things to relate to in this book! ...more
This book nestled itself into a tender little space in my heart and I truly loved it so much.
Housemates starts from the perspective of an older womanThis book nestled itself into a tender little space in my heart and I truly loved it so much.
Housemates starts from the perspective of an older woman stuck in her overwhelming grief, even though it’s been years since her ‘housemate’ has passed away. One day, she braves the outside world and encounters two young people at a coffee shop discussing ambitious plans for a roadtrip: Bernie and Leah. The woman follows them home and becomes an omniscient third-person onlooker in their lives, as she seems to float out of her body and into their home. We learn about how Bernie and Leah met, we meet their group of young, queer roommates who all share the same house, we see that Bernie is a photographer and Leah is a journalist, and then we watch as Bernie and Leah set out on a road trip through rural Pennsylvania to document this deeply divided state in the early years of the Trump era.
This book gives space to those beautifully mundane moments that feel like they mean nothing in everyday life: the pauses in conversation, the forgotten decor on the shelves of an old bar, the sound of your roommate talking to the cat through the bedroom wall, not the reading of a poem but the first time you’re reminded of it after the fact, when something passing out the train window reminds you of your favourite line. It’s observant and gentle and captures people as they are; ever-changing, making mistakes, learning about themselves. The fact that we’re seeing through the eyes of an older queer woman watching and admiring the lives of those younger than her adds to this feeling of celebration and awe, as she yearns for what her life could have been if her and her ‘housemate’ were able to live as more than just that. All the young housemates in this novel are more than just that: they’re found family and close friends and lovers, with endless care for one another that they’re able to express openly and unreservedly.
That was the exact kind of book I wanted to read on a hot, lazy evening: one that moved slowly and thoughtfully, pausing on the details, giving space to the spaces in between. If we tend to have a similar taste in books, I’m confident you’ll love this <3 ...more
This book was magical, propulsive, and dreamy, with an air-tight plotline that came together perfectly! I buddy-read this with Tanis and we were both This book was magical, propulsive, and dreamy, with an air-tight plotline that came together perfectly! I buddy-read this with Tanis and we were both texting each other nonstop with "omg I can't believe that just happened" and "have you gotten to this scene yet?!". SUCH a fun read.
My big critique with this is the writing of the female protagonists, especially with unnecessary comments they make about their own and others' weight. These moments felt very much like 'women written by a man' and took me out of the story. For these reasons and just for their overall characterization, I found Izzy and Cassie's characters unbearable at first. They definitely grew on me as the book went on, but for the first quarter of this book or so I was worried it would be a dnf.
This is a book I'd recommend if you're looking for a carefully constructed plotline, an interesting magic system, and a fast pace. I wouldn't say its writing is special or the characters were that dynamic, and usually that alone is a deal-breaker for me, but I think this speaks to just how great this story's concept and execution of that concept was that I still ended up enjoying it to the end!...more
I have so much to say about this book and I can't stop thinking about it. I was transfixed by the first 100 pages, frustrated and a little bored by thI have so much to say about this book and I can't stop thinking about it. I was transfixed by the first 100 pages, frustrated and a little bored by the middle 200ish, and then completely swept away by the end. This isn't a funny ha ha unhinged delulu story... this is a book about a character who is deeply unwell, working through significant trauma, and struggling to hold on to reality. I think there's more editing that could have gone into this in terms of structure and format, especially eliminating how self-referential and meta it is, which almost makes the book feel self conscious and took me out of it at times. Regardless, this is a book that's full of heart and life. I buddy read this with Zoe and sent her a literal essay at midnight when I finished, and although we both had a lot to critique about this one, as I said, I just have so much to say. I think any book that stirs up so much thought and discussion is worth something. This is a book I'm glad I read, although I wouldn't recommend it to anyone unless I knew them really well, as I don't think it's one that will work for everyone. This is sitting at a firm 3.5 for me but I'll round it up ...more
I feel heartbroken by this book because the first half had serious five-star, rave to everyone, handsell to customer potential. A queer coming of age I feel heartbroken by this book because the first half had serious five-star, rave to everyone, handsell to customer potential. A queer coming of age story set in rural New Hampshire which follows Lacey Bond, whose hippie parents are swept up in the wave of satanic panic hysteria of the 1990s and accused of assaulting the children of the daycare they run. This book includes a jaw-dropping murder, childhood revelations that come to light, interesting pre-teen interpersonal relationships, court drama... there was SO much going for this.
But WHY DIDN'T THIS BOOK END AT THE END OF PART TWO. I'm going to try really hard not to give any specifics away when I say this but if you don't want spoilers skip this paragraph. It would have been the perfect ending to this book: all the plotlines are wrapped up to a satisfying extent, and what happens is a surprising, holy shit I didn't see this coming, wow okay it's really happening climax that would make the perfect culmination of an already exciting storyline. You might not know what happens next to the characters as they make their escape, but there's so many possibilities for what awaits them. In my opinion, that's the exact place you WANT to leave a reader!! That's what makes people want to bring this book to book club or force their friends to read along... it's what makes a book stay in your mind for a long time. Holding on to the image of (view spoiler)[ two young girls running off in the forest towards Canada with a half-baked plan but hope for a fresh start after they just did what they just did (hide spoiler)], and hoping for the best for them, and wondering what's next.... a fantastic ending.
But then part three and of this book to the end, which is about 200 pages, jumps into a 'ten years later, where are they now' storyline, and then eventually their past catches up to them. I really tried to care about this part, but I ended up skimming to the end. Like I said earlier, the major plot points of the first half had all already been wrapped up. I can't really think of anything that was added in this section. If anything, ending this at the end of part two and this writing a sequel that continues in Montreal several years later could have been a cool Colson Whitehead The Nickel Boys to Harlem Shuffle moment!!
TLDR if this book ended at page 230 but then those 230 pages were stretched out to the full 400-page length of this novel, it would have been an absolute knock out of a story. I'm thinking The Secret History meets Emelia Symington-Fedy's Skid Dogs meets All The Ugly and Wonderful Things. I really really wanted to like this and I think it had so much potential. Ah!
Danny Ramadan starts and ends his memoir asking his reader to receive and hold his words with care, since he's getting personal in ways that are diffiDanny Ramadan starts and ends his memoir asking his reader to receive and hold his words with care, since he's getting personal in ways that are difficult for him. That rawness and vulnerability really came through, not only in the way he shares painful memories, but in the way he discusses his joy, criticisms, disappointment, love, and more. This was just so beautiful. I loved how often Danny broke the fourth wall in explaining why he's choosing to withhold information in some parts, why he chose to focus on different elements in others, and how difficult the process of writing this was. This really moved me!...more
Ruby Hamad is unflinching in this important book, dedicated to exploring the specific but prolific dynamic of a white woman weaponizing her tears agaiRuby Hamad is unflinching in this important book, dedicated to exploring the specific but prolific dynamic of a white woman weaponizing her tears against a woman of colour. We see this play out when a white woman is called out, and instead of acknowledging her mistakes or apologizing, throws accusations of bullying, oversensitivity, or aggression. Ruby Hamad outlines the historical context of why white women can retreat to the idea of innocence or purity in a way women of colour do not have access to. She also provides modern-day examples of how this plays out in media, popular culture, on social media, in workplaces, and more. She challenges western feminism, which is intrinsically linked to capitalism, and argues why it often not only isolates the voices of women of colour, but actively oppresses and dismisses them.
I read this for a workplace book club and it sparked so much challenging, reflective, and productive discussion. My only critique with it is that much of it relies on binary terms: brown versus white, men versus women. Overall though, I think this is a valuable book that anyone will learn something from....more
There Are Rivers in the Sky tells the story of three characters across continents and centuries, with seWow. What an incredible journey this book was!
There Are Rivers in the Sky tells the story of three characters across continents and centuries, with seemingly no connection between them at first: Arthur, an impoverished though gifted boy in Victorian England, Narin, a Yazidi girl in modern-day Turkey, who comes a long line of female faqra, or seers, and Zaleekhah, a middle-aged hydrologist going through a divorce in modern-day London. Like water swirling in currents, Elif's narrative takes us between their lives, as their stories seem to converge then drift apart, with little drops of commonality flowing through them. As much as this book is about Arthur, Narin, and Zaleekhah, it is the overarching story of a water droplet and the memory it retains; it explores how stories, like the Epic of Gilgamesh, travel through time and leaves an impact through centuries; it's concerned with humanity's destruction of the natural world and the history that disappears with it. I sunk into this novel, and found myself lost in its current. An exciting upcoming release by an author whose voice is lyrical, wise, and comforting!...more
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