Quill and Quire

Fiction: Novels

Breathing Lessons

By Andy Sinclair

The title of Andy Sinclair’s debut novel refers to the experience of accepting air from another person, whether through artificial respiration or by sharing a joint. A special type of breathing is involved, but once ... Read More »

May 21, 2015 | Filed under: Fiction: Novels

Boring Girls

By Sara Taylor

The literary debut by Toronto singer-songwriter Sara Taylor (who fronts the band the Birthday Massacre) follows a teenage girl’s struggle to fit in, her discovery of metal music, and involvement in a band – oh, ... Read More »

May 11, 2015 | Filed under: Fiction: Novels

★ Harmless

By James Grainger

“How did it get so late so soon? It’s night before it’s afternoon.” Dr. Seuss’s quip might well serve as an epigraph for James Grainger’s superb debut novel. This taut, timely tale keenly dissects the ... Read More »

May 4, 2015 | Filed under: Fiction: Novels

Red Jacket

By Pamela Mordecai

The first novel from Jamaican-born poet, short-story writer, and scholar Pamela Mordecai is a deliberately paced, trenchant story of one woman’s coming of age on the fictional Caribbean island of St. Chris, and her difficult ... Read More »

April 27, 2015 | Filed under: Fiction: Novels

A Free Man

By Michel Basilières

Admirers of Michel Basilières’ Black Bird, which won the 2003 Amazon.ca/Books in Canada First Novel Award, have been waiting for a follow-up for more than a decade. Apparently, it’s not coming. According to a throwaway ... Read More »

April 14, 2015 | Filed under: Fiction: Novels