A lovely, poetic, and musical novella traces a homeward journey of two Canadians to Ireland. The story offers enchantment for any reader: “This book would make particularly excellent reading for anyone planning a trip there, as well as those interested in Irish history or ancestry.” —Trish Bowering reviews Looking for Cornelius, by Diana Hayes (Eugene: Resource Publications, 2025) $21.00 / 9798385250332
Stylish novel that’s funny without trying, where “characters bleed into a procession reminiscent of reality show fuelled by primitive desires”: “Pools has no shortage of sex, drugs, and bored rich people. Forget about sentiment or ayahuasca-induced epiphanies. Prepare for a good time, follow up with a shot of Nietzsche.” —Jessica Poon reviews Pools, by Martin West (Vancouver: Anvil Press, 2025) $22.00 / 9781772142440
A “surrealist and bizarre” (and hallucinatory) debut novella—set in a cheerless, labyrinthine bunker—shows great appeal in concept. Yet, the book’s realization and editorial slackness limit the book’s overall credibility. —Zoe McKenna reviews The Firmament, by Adam Parker (Middletown: Alien Buddha Press, 2025) $16.99 / 97898287359348
Clashing politics and unexpected romantic feelings animate a socially conscious novel set in Winnipeg during an era of social disruption and economic disparity. Plot twists “keep readers interested in this study of home-front class differences.” —Ron Verzuh reviews The Bittersweet Year, by Barry Potyondi (N.p.: Holand Press, 2025) $16.49 / 9798297500709
A late entrant to the teeming dystopia subgenre with adolescent protagonists, a novel shows potential and emotionally powerful scenes, but is marred by weak characterization and a “generic dystopia fill-in-the-blanks” structure. —Isabella Ranallo reviews Slice the Water, by PP Wong (Fredericton: Goose Lane Editions, 2025) $26.00 / 9781773104447
A creepy forest, lake, and cabin—not to mention abusive foster parents—are just part of the memorable scenery in a clever, atmospheric thriller with a slightly gothic feel. Here’s a debut novel with “a ripping good story.” —Trish Bowering reviews The Guest Children, by Patrick Tarr (Toronto: HarperCollins Canada, 2025) $24.99 / 9781443473958
With all the hallmarks of an thriller, a debut novel features action, moments of comedy, manly men, double-crosses, intriguing secondary characters… and a somewhat forgettable protagonist. —Isabella Ranallo reviews In Spite of Thunder, by Thomas Mark McKinnon (Vancouver: 1083899 B.C, 2025) $24.95 / 9781069647405
A Vancouver-set debut crime novel, a “very enjoyable, fast-paced thriller that does not disappoint,” entangles a psychologist in a suspected suicide case. A whole school of red herrings ensues. —Valerie Green reviews Hired Gun: Uncovering Buried Secrets, by Bill Koch (Altona: Friesen Press, 2025) $30.49 / 97810368329448
Empathetic first novel portrays Kayla, a new arrival in Kelowna who lives on the street and supports herself with sex work. Adept characterization and vivid description add to a tale whose “value also lies in its representation of the humanity and lives of people who find themselves where none of us wants to end up.” —Janet Pollock Millar reviews Still, by Joanna Cockerline (Erin: The Porcupine’s Quill, 2025) $22.00 / 9781774221709
Vancouver-set thriller, “full of gunfire and revelations,” features a shady biomedical research firm, a MacGuffin that L’Oréal would kill for, criminal intentions left and right, and a hapless RMT named Jackson Teague in the middle of it all. —Jessica Poon reviews On Borrowed Time, by Tony Berryman (N.p.: Twintree Books: 2025) $22.95 / 9781777133566
With a wealth of imagery and motifs, a captivating sophomore novel tells a tale of an uncertain pilgrimage; it “presents a more complex truth than typical family reunion stories: that survival sometimes requires accepting fundamental uncertainty about our own stories.” —Selena Mercuri reviews Rufous and Calliope, by Sarah Louise Butler (Madeira Park: Douglas & McIntyre, 2025) $24.95 / 9781771624572
A chilling and enthralling “psychologically perilous tale of deception, manipulation, and murder” is anchored by Esther Maile, a character who strives “to fill her need for connection in the most maladaptive ways.” —Trish Bowering reviews Days of Feasting and Rejoicing, by David Bergen (Fredericton: Goose Lane Editions, 2025) $25.00 / 9781773103433
“In fact, gratitude is something I believe was on display in this enclave in the Coastal Room at the Gibson Public Market, an appreciation for the array of literary talent on the Sunshine Coast and across the province. That was certainly the message relayed by several literary award judges at this fifth annual event.” Trevor Marc Hughes reports on the recent Art & Words Festival events held in Gibsons this past weekend.
“If you’re looking for dour, deeply depressing escapism, go fish. But if you’re in the mood for humour and meta-humour…”: in this novel, self-involved TV personalities and mystery writers congregate for a festival where—gasp!—there’s a murder. Dialogue is snippy, the mood is light, and the shenanigans are frequent. —Jessica Poon reviews Killer on the First Page, by Ian Ferguson and Will Ferguson (Toronto: Harper Collins Canada, 2025) $24.99 / 9781443475099
With a surprising ending that’s “perfect” and a convincing portrait of a recognizably unjust present day political reality and hopeful responses to it, a debut novel thrills as it portrays bookish and venerable activists. —Valerie Green reviews Make No Mistake, by Julie Wise (Penticton: Wise Publications, 2025) $20.99 / 9781069525505
“Like many love stories, this one involves a love triangle”: with “characters that are not only vivid, but full-on loose cannons,” a Vancouver-set sophomore novel tackles marriage, identity, and contemporary reality. —Theo Dombrowski reviews You’ve Changed, by Ian Williams (Toronto: Random House Canada, 2025) $37.00 / 9781039012356
Debut novel features “a fast-paced, stream-of-consciousness, interior monologue style” that reveals “layers of complexity in the queer Palestinian immigrant’s experience of life in the West.” The result? A “politically sophisticated and often wickedly funny first novel, grounded in the foibles of human nature and how we respond to them, that’s well worth reading.” —Daniel Gawthrop reviews Three Parties, by Ziyad Saadi (Toronto: Hamish Hamilton, 2025) $34.95 / 9780735250963
The promise of comfort and security in a new home continues to elude the proverbially overworked and underpaid characters in a searing novel that highlights exploitation, corruption, and bad faith in Canada’s immigration system. —Ron Verzuh reviews Frosty Lanes, by Harpreet Sekha (translated by Akal Amrit Kaur and Inderpal Kaur) (Chhanna, India: Rethink Books, 2025) $x.xx / 9789348092922
Inspired by a fearless and revengeful “Queen of Outlaws,” the spirited young protagonist of a vibrant, prairie-set debut novel begins a lengthy quest for self-determination as she moves from job to job, location to location, and man to man in the early twentieth century. —Trish Bowering reviews I Want to Die in My Boots, by Natalie Appleton (Victoria: Touchwood Editions, 2025) $28.65 / 9781990071270
With three timelines—1908, 1934, 1998—and “a ghoulish atmosphere that will delight dark academia and horror fans alike,” a prolific author’s latest novel drips with chills, trials, and, of course, witchcraft. —Sophia Wasylinko reviews The Bewitching, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Toronto: Del Rey, 2025) $39.00 / 9780593874325