montreal The Miramichi Reader

Hotline by Dimitri Nasrallah

February 28, 2022 by Alison Manley

With Hotline, Dimitri Nasrallah has written a vivid elegy to the 1980s, the years he first moved to Canada, bringing the era's systemic challenges into the current moment through this deeply endearing portrait of struggle, perseverance, and bonding.

I Am the Earth the Plants Grow Through by Jack Hannan

October 25, 2021October 25, 2021 by Alison Manley

Introspective and lyrical, I am the Earth the Plants Grow Through by Jack Hannan takes us on a cross-country trip through time, away from Montreal of the 1970s and Montreal of the present day, following a love story and an art story.

The Sleep of Apples by Ami Sands Brodoff

September 5, 2021 by Alison Manley

In The Sleep of Apples, Ami Sands Brodoff writes with passion and consummate skill about nine closely linked characters who walk the tightrope of survival.

The Butcher of Park Ex and Other Semi-Truthful Tales by Andreas Kessaris

March 20, 2021March 19, 2021 by Sonia Saikaley

The Butcher of Park Ex is a humorous collection of personal stories inspired by the author's life growing up in Montreal's Park Extension neighbourhood, with Greek immigrant parents who never quite adapted to life in their new country.

Without Blood: A Victor Lessard Thriller by Martin Michaud

February 7, 2021February 6, 2021 by Allan Hudson

The second twisty crime novel from the master of the Quebec thriller! Rebellious cop Victor Lessard pursues a ruthless hunter who stalks the streets of Montreal.

The Tracey Waddleton Interview

October 15, 2019 by James M. Fisher

The author of "Send More Tourists...the Last Ones Were Delicious" talks to The Miramichi Reader about her love of libraries, favourite authors and stories, and raising plants.

Exile Blues by Douglas Gary Freeman

February 2, 2022September 29, 2019 by James M. Fisher

Exile Blues could be one of the most important Black History novels to appear in recent years, and Douglas Gary Freeman is a writer worthy of consideration.

Melba’s Wash by Reesa Steinman Brotherton

July 31, 2019July 29, 2019 by James M. Fisher

Grand Manan Island is part of the province of New Brunswick and has a population of just over 2,000 (as of 2016). It is also the setting for Melba’s Wash by Reesa Steinman Brotherton, who was born in New Brunswick, … Continue reading

Fog by Rana Bose

September 3, 2019March 17, 2019 by James M. Fisher

Fog is suspenseful, conflicting, mysterious and hard to put down. (…) A literate mystery/thriller set in Montreal (on “the Main”) with side trips to Calcutta and Kandahar, this is a superbly written book about a neighbourhood, friendships, justice and belonging.

The Carpenter From Montreal by George Fetherling

June 3, 2021October 5, 2018 by James M. Fisher

The story behind The Carpenter From Montreal centres around Jim (in New York) and a large Montreal man known to all as The Carpenter. It is the Prohibition Era, and gangsters control the flow of liquor out of Canada over the border.

Hutchison Street by Abla Farhoud

June 3, 2021September 2, 2018 by James M. Fisher

Translated by Judith Weisz Woodsworth, Hutchison Street (2018, Linda Leith Publishing) is a collection of character sketches spun into a tapestry of interconnected short stories as colourful as the inhabitants of the actual street itself. The book is divided into … Continue reading

The Pink House and Other Stories by Licia Canton

August 19, 2019June 3, 2018 by James M. Fisher

I enjoy reading short story collections, particularly when there are connections between the stories, for instance, reoccurring characters. Such is the case in Licia Canton’s The Pink House and Other Stories (2018, Longbridge Books), her second collection of short fiction.… Continue reading

The Art and Passion of Guido Nincheri by Mélanie Grondin

February 4, 2019March 17, 2018 by James M. Fisher

The beauty of many old churches (particularly cathedrals, basilicas, etc.) is in their architecture as well as in their religious art, whether it is the many large frescoes or the exquisite stained glass windows that adorn them. The late (1885-1973) … Continue reading

Behind the Eyes We Meet by Mélissa Verreault

November 19, 2018September 4, 2017 by James M. Fisher

Verreault has a master’s degree in translation from Université Laval in Quebec City and lives in Lévis with her Italian husband and their triplets. She has published three novels in French. Behind The Eyes We Meet is the English translation … Continue reading

Gravitational Fields by Harry Rajchgot

November 29, 2017May 7, 2017 by James M. Fisher

“A Novel of Peacetime & War”, Gravitational Fields (2016) by Harry Rajchgot is an epic (450 pages) story that covers the events of the Jewish people from pre-WWII through the struggle to establish the Israeli State to living in Canada. … Continue reading