Sombrio by Rhonda Waterfall Guelph ON: Gordon Hill Press, 2022 $22.00 / 9781774220672 Reviewed by Steven Brown * Sombrio, by Rhonda Waterfall, is a dark tale of estrangement, paranoia, delusion and self-loathing, set to the tune of some kind of woodsy mystic opera, complete with the ethereal sound of singing off in the dark forest….
Read more 1762 Three on a beach
Incredible Crossings: The History and Art of the Bridges, Tunnels and Inland Ferries that Connect British Columbia by Derek Hayes Madeira Park: Harbour Publishing, 2022 $46.95 / 9781550179903 Reviewed by Ron Verzuh * Pacific Highways and Byways: Travelling Through BC History by Boat, Train, Road or Armchair Pick a road, any road. Chances are you’ll…
Read more 1761 Pacific highways and byways
E.J. Hughes: Canadian War Artist by Robert Amos Victoria: TouchWood Editions, 2022 $35.00 / 9781771513852 Reviewed by Peter Clarke * Few artists have been so quintessentially identified with the West Coast as E.J. Hughes. At the time of his death in 2007 he had long been known as a reclusive figure living at Shawnigan Lake…
Read more 1760 E.J. Hughes: the formative years
oems by Matthew Tomkinson Montreal: Guernica Editions, 2022 $20.00 / 9781771837637 Reviewed by Matt Rader * Turned one way, words are never enough, never able to capture fully what they point to. As Robert Hass puts it, “because there is in this world no one thing / to which the bramble of blackberry corresponds, a…
Read more 1759 The bell of the artificial
Good Morning Poems: A start to the day from famous English-language poems by George Bowering Edmonton: NeWest Press, 2023 $20.95 / 9781774390658 Reviewed by Karl Siegler * George Bowering’s outstanding literary reputation is based on his over 100 published books of poetry, fiction, drama, and non-fiction over the past sixty years, which have earned him…
Read more 1758 Poems traditional and modern
Announcing the BC Review interview series by Richard Mackie * In November 2022, at the most recent board meeting of the Ormsby Literary Society, the chair, Byron Sheardown, suggested that we open a YouTube channel and start an interview series. Board member Trevor Marc Hughes jumped at the suggestion. “I’ve got filmmaking experience,” he said,…
Read more 1757 Announcing interview series
Time Out of Time by Arleen Paré Qualicum Beach: Caitlin Press, 2022 $20.00 / 9781773860794 Reviewed by Marguerite Pigeon * Victoria poet Arleen Paré opens her slim volume, Time out of Time, with a note explaining the genesis of her project: the collection is a tribute to the Lebanese-American poet Etel Adnan. But we might…
Read more 1756 Slender and chiselled lines
Uncertain Kin by Janice Lynn Mather Toronto: Penguin Random House Canada (Doubleday Canada), 2022 $29.95 / 9780385697156 Reviewed by Alison Acheson * A dusty rooster and a badly tuned radio woke Priscilla just before six. It’s perfect detail that draws you in to Janice Lynn Mather’s world. Once there (with one exception, a story of…
Read more 1755 God on the dock
Red Obsidian: New and Selected Poems by Stephan Torre Regina: University of Regina Press, 2021 (Oskana Poetry & Poetics) $19.95 / 9780889777750 Reviewed by Harold Rhenisch * There is an old story on this coast, told by people working daily with the Earth, turning it into land, fields and crops. It is called ‘The Farm.”…
Read more 1754 The weight of the earth
Chinese Victoria: A Long and Difficult Journey by John Adams Victoria: Discover the Past, 2022 $80.00 / 97809973124125 Reviewed by Robert Amos To obtain a copy of Chinese Victoria, contact Discover the Past, 634 Battery Street, Victoria V8V 1E5. price $80 + $4 GST = $84.00 * A book about Victoria’s Chinatown is sure to…
Read more 1753 Chinatown comes alive
Why I’m Here: A Novel by Jill Frayne Edmonton: NeWest Press, 2022 $21.95 / 9781774390498 Reviewed by Valerie Green * Jill Frayne’s book Why I’m Here is a combination of the strong pull of family, overwhelming heartache and puzzling mystery. The book is a compelling read set against the fierce splendour of the Yukon. The…
Read more 1752 The hold of place and family
Sheila Norgate If You Are Reading This: A/Mem.oir/ish/ Gabriola Island: Ladies Institute Press, 2022 (printed by Hignell) $22.00 / 9780994761811 Reviewed by Susan Sanford Blades * It should come as no surprise that a memoir written by a multi-media artist who pushed the boundaries of normal throughout her professional life does not follow the general…
Read more 1751 A feminist life examined
Forest Walking: Discovering the Trees and Woodlands of North America by Peter Wohlleben and Jane Billinghurst Vancouver: Greystone Books, 2022 $24.95 / 9781771643313 Reviewed by Jodi Lundgren * Immerse yourself in a forest and use all of your senses to pay attention, advises Peter Wohlleben in this information-packed guidebook, a follow-up to his best-selling The…
Read more 1750 Out of the woods
Anthony Thorn. For the Honour of Art: Essays and Opinions by Lyndon Grove, Ihor Holubizky, and Brent Raycroft (editors), with contributions by Anthony Thorn, Robert Amos, and Garry Gaudet Victoria: Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, and Regina: the MacKenzie Gallery, 2022. Printed by Friesens, Altona, Manitoba $34.99 / 9780888853868 Reviewed by Theo Dombrowski Note: interviews…
Read more 1749 Calling Anthony Thorn
Backpacking in Southwestern British Columbia: The Essential Guide to Overnight Hiking Trips by Taryn Eyton Vancouver: Greystone Books, 2021 $24.95 / 9781771646680 Reviewed by Jocie Brooks * I sometimes ask myself why I backpack. There are the usual hardships to endure: a too-heavy pack, swarms of bugs and unexpected bad weather. Months after the trips…
Read more 1748 Life stripped down to the core
The Porcelain Moon: A Novel of France, the Great War, and Forbidden Love by Janie Chang Toronto: HarperCollins Canada (William Morrow), 2023 $24.99 / 9780063072862 Reviewed by Candace Fertile * While historical romance is not my preferred genre, I was immediately gripped by Janie Chang’s fourth novel, The Porcelain Moon, not so much for the…
Read more 1747 A lovely sense of place & time
This Unlikely Soil by Andrea Routley Qualicum Beach: Caitlin Press, 2022 $24.95 / 9781773860985 Reviewed by Amy Reiswig * Anyone who has spent time in a BC forest knows it can be hard to navigate. Spaces between tall trunks are filled with thick tangles of salal, huckleberry, and ferns, and the way forward is strewn…
Read more 1746 Much grows in shadow
Built on a Dream An audio piece by Anne Watson * Introduction. Built on a Dream includes the voices of a narrator, a storyteller, and a historian. Positionality and self-conscious awareness matter in this experimental piece. I’ve written it different ways over the years: this is my first attempt using multiple voices. Pierre Bourdieu’s “Biographical…
Read more 1745 Built on a Dream
Forgotten Cranbrook: A Photo History of Early Cranbrook & District by Keith G. Powell, Derryll White, and Erin Knutson Cranbrook: Columbia Basin Institute of Regional History, 2022 $29.95 / 9780981214696 Reviewed by Ron Verzuh * Pioneer impermanence: A photographic history tour of the East Kootenays I am staring into the faces of several older men…
Read more 1744 Pioneer impermanence
Mother Tongue Publishing Limited: Trade Books and Limited Editions 1995-2021 Salt Spring Island, 2022 Available here for $10.00 including postage A special report by Phyllis Parham Reeve * Mona Fertig has retired. How can that be? For more than 40 years Mona has been a force of nature in BC’s literary community. First, there was…
Read more 1743 Mother Tongue bites its tongue