A Child to Cry Over by Vanessa C. Hawkins
Maddy Bell was just eight years old when she was sent away for the murder of a two year old boy living in the rural town of St. George, New Brunswick.
relationships
Erase and Rewind by Meghan Bell
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
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.
Polar Vortex by Shani Mootoo
Are we ever free from our pasts? Can we ever truly know the people we are closest to? Seductive and tension-filled, Polar Vortex is a story of secrets, deceptions, and revenge.
Twelve Miles to Midnight, by André Narbonne
Twelve Miles to Midnight (2016, Bookhug Press) is a novel in short stories that begins on a midnight road heading north from disaster and travels to the docks of Halifax and along the Eastern seaboard.
You are Eating an Orange. You are Naked. by Sheung-King
Love can be beautiful and disastrous at the same time. In Sheung-King’s debut novel You are Eating an Orange. You are Naked., he brilliantly evokes the complexities of an intense romantic relationship with the use of lyrical language and folk tales that draw the reader in.
This Cleaving and This Burning by J.A. Wainwright
Two unrelated, aspiring writers, born on the same day in the same year to parents with the same first names, grow up together and eventually gain national prominence as authors.
Melt by Heidi Wicks
Melt by Heidi Wicks explores the life-sustaining anatomy of friendship and the complex relationships we have with our pasts.
Swimmers in Winter by Faye Guenther
Faye Guenther’s first collection of short fiction, Swimmers in Winter, is described as a “trifecta of diptychs.” Any of the six pieces can stand well on their own, or can work in their pairs to flesh out the characters, … Continue reading
All I Ask by Eva Crocker
There are novels that feel alive. There is no other way to describe it, because words like ‘fresh’ or ‘current’ are not enough. These novels are more than just a compelling plot or strong writing. They do more than tap … Continue reading
Skiing With Henry Knox by Sam Brakeley
Skiing With Henry Knox represents a bit of a departure for Islandport Press of Maine. This book is not written by a Mainer nor does it take place in Maine. However, Skiing With Henry Knox is really not about skiing … Continue reading
Half-Sisters & Other Stories by Ryan Turner
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
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.
Even Weirder Than Before by Susie Taylor
Susie Taylor's Even Weirder Than Before is an enjoyable chronicle of Daisy Radcliffe's life journey from Grade 8 through the end of high school in the late 80s/early 90s.
Making it Home by Alison DeLory
In Alison DeLory's Making it Home, published by Vagrant Press, we have a novel involving a Syrian family coming to Canada. The author dovetails a Syrian family escaping Aleppo to live in a refugee camp in Turkey, with that of a family in Falkirk Cove, a small community on Cape Breton Island.