Quill and Quire

BOOK REVIEWS

Hello Serotonin

By Jon Paul Fiorentino

Widely prescribed drugs whose names blend the promise of comfort with cold, technological efficiency – Zoloft, Paxil, Xanax – are even now resculpting the contemporary mindscape. All of this offers promising terrain for Hello Serotonin, ... Read More »

April 12, 2004 | Filed under: Poetry

Contrary Angel

By Mike Barnes

The stories that comprise Mike Barnes’ lopsided second collection of short fiction are brought together under no overarching concern or theme, except perhaps one as tenuous as the struggle of characters against themselves.Barnes, who has ... Read More »

April 12, 2004 | Filed under: Fiction: Short

The Fire Thief

By Stephen Guppy

For his first novel, Vancouver poet and short story author Stephen Guppy has set up a fictional town – Danforth, nicknamed “Atomic, U.S.A.” – near Seattle. All of it, from schools to stop signs and ... Read More »

April 8, 2004 | Filed under: Fiction: Novels

Flame of Separation

By Des Kennedy

After three books about gardening, eco-activist and columnist Des Kennedy’s first novel, The Garden Club, was shortlisted for the 1997 Leacock Medal. Interestingly, Kennedy’s new novel is a psychological mystery, told without any noticeable horticulture ... Read More »

April 8, 2004 | Filed under: Fiction: Novels

Cherry

By Chandra Mayor

In her first novel, Chandra Mayor pulls her readers into Winnipeg’s early-1990s skinhead scene, compelling them to follow an unnamed protagonist through city streets whose names come to represent a series of struggles for survival ... Read More »

April 8, 2004 | Filed under: Fiction: Novels