relationships

Erase and Rewind by Meghan Bell

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The stories in Erase and Rewind probe the complexities of living as a woman in a skewed society. Told from the perspective of female protagonists, the pick at at rape culture, sexism in the workplace, uneven romantic and platonic relationships, and the impact of trauma under late-stage capitalism. Quirky, intelligent, and darkly comic, Meghan Bell's debut collection is a highwire balance of levity and gravity, finding the surreal in everyday life.

We, Jane by Aimee Wall

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There is so much to say about Aimee Wall’s debut novel We, Jane. In a tight 200 pages, Wall’s poetic prose chronicles the complicated relationships between women of different generations and life experiences. Through these connections, readers are exposed to the complex geography of reproductive rights and to legacies of local knowledge.

Half-Sisters & Other Stories by Ryan Turner

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Family matters dominate Ryan Turner’s exceptional collection of short fiction, Half-Sisters & Other Stories. The characters in these dramatically subtle, psychologically probing stories are often coping with or reacting to tragic or unhappy events—separation, estrangement, sudden death—and are compelled by circumstance to re-connect in tentative or awkward fashion with family members with whom they may have had little contact and who are largely unknown to them.

Broken Man on a Halifax Pier by Lesley Choyce

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Fifty-five-year-old Charles Howard has lost his long-time journalism job and has been swindled out of his life savings. Standing by the edge of Halifax Harbour on a foggy morning, contemplating his dismal future, his ritual of self-pity is interrupted with the appearance of the mysterious and beguiling Ramona Danforth.