The British Columbia Review | Page 4 of 151 | Books and Culture of British Columbia

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Susan Juby – Respect for the butler

“‘A lot of us get very devoted to our detectives,’ Juby says. ‘So there’s a little bit of a parasocial relationship with your detective. You sort of glom onto them and think, aaahhh, I’m in the hands of this particular person and I can see the world through their eyes.’ In this case the detective in question is ‘buddhist butler and reluctant investigator Helen Thorpe.'” Trevor Marc Hughes presents an interview with Nanaimo-based crime fiction writer Susan Juby.

‘A pioneering artist and activist’

“This expertly curated and well-composed book intends to rectify Wakayama’s relative obscurity. He is both the subject of Enemy Alien and, to a large extent, its author.” Philip Huynh reviews Enemy Alien: Tamio Wakayama, by Paul Wong (ed.) (Vancouver: Figure 1 Publishing, 2025) $40 / 9781773272801

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An unapologetic social justice narrative

“Darcy describes her struggles as the only woman or one of few in the corridors and meeting halls of union power. For those of us who were there, can I have an Amen, Sister; for those now used to seeing women in positions of union leadership, it could be instructive to learn how it was, not so long ago, for a woman in a union leadership position to speak truth to power – to both sides of the table.” Wendy Burton reviews Leading from the Heart: The Battles of a Feminist, Union Leader and Politician, by Judy Darcy (Madeira Park: Douglas & McIntyre, 2026) $40 / 9781771625043

‘A road / called curiosity’

“Playfully serious, raucous and ribald, light-hearted and ‘heavy’ (in the ‘70s sense), Pearl is the final note in a symphony that rings out long after the applause has ended, and the musicians have packed up their instruments and left. Pearl is full of wisdom, full of beautiful gems, and so earns its title, but it also pays homage to Bowering’s mother, Pearl, in a poem appropriately placed at the centre of his book.” —Al Rempel reviews Pearl, by George Bowering (Vancouver: Talonbooks, 2026) $19.95 / 9781772017137

Craig Taylor – The social history

“Considering author and journalist Craig Taylor has had such cosmopolitan addresses as London and New York, and such impressive credentials, such as writing for The Guardian, finding him on the quiet shores of Protection Island just off of Nanaimo is surprising.” Trevor Marc Hughes presents an interview segment with author Craig Taylor, filmed on Protection Island.

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Last of the old-school zebra stripes

“Early in Rob Simpson’s affectionate tribute to his co-author/subject, we learn that Bill McCreary (2014) is one of only two NHL on-ice officials inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame this century, the other being linesman Ray Scapinello (2008). Is this an indication of both men’s exceptional contributions to the sport, or more a reflection of the sorry state of on-ice officiating since 1999? Or both? Whatever the case, it is fair to say that the gravitas referees once enjoyed in the world’s premier hockey league has diminished since McCreary first put on the NHL zebra stripes in 1984.” Daniel Gawthrop reviews Stories from Ice Level: A Great NHL Referee Tells All, by Rob Simpson with Bill McCreary (Madeira Park: Douglas & McIntyre, 2026) $24.95 / 9781771624824

Amid the theatre of war

Prolific author returns to Europe during WWII with a twisty page-turner. “The action didn’t let up until the last page. With a descriptive historical setting, an intriguing plot full of suspense and action, and a bit of romance to boot, The Double Life of Eve Sinclair is historical fiction well worth a read,” our reviews says. —Trish Bowering reviews The Double Life of Eve Sinclair, by C.C. Humphreys (Toronto: Doubleday Canada, 2026) $25.00 / 9780385701075

‘Dear Phoenix’

Funny, poignant, and joyful, a poetry collection considers parenting and fatherhood. “Here is a book of wonder between a son, his father, his mother and between a father, his daughter, and her mother. A letter of charm, nuance, struggle, humour, love, and affection,” our reviewer writes. —Heather Simeney MacLeod reviews Dad Era, by Jordan Abel (Toronto: Coach House Books, 2026) $17.95 / 9781770569003

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New Caledonian rough-edged life

“Who committed the murders and why and what to do about it and what happens later takes up the rest of this remarkable story, the seventh book in what has evolved as author Geoff Mynett’s stand-out series of deep dives into formerly obscure corners of British Columbia history. William Brown is the subject of the author’s previous book in the series, A Gentleman of Considerable Talent.” Steven Brown reviews The Fort George Murders of 1823: Crises and Coexistence in New Caledonia, by Geoff Mynett (Qualicum Beach: Caitlin Press, 2026) $28.00 / 9781773861791

Brave new worldbuilding

The third book of a series — and a hybrid of poetry, fantasy, and epic — is partly set on “the western shore of the continent formerly known as North America.” “It’s an opera,” our reviewer writes, “Opera is dramatic, fantastical, over-the-top, and told through appearance and surface given depth by music. A fusion in other words, an extension of lyrical song into narrative. I recommend reading this book with that structure in mind.” —Harold Rhenisch reviews Bramah’s Discovery, by Renée Sarojini Saklikar (Gibsons: Nightwood Editions, 2026) $26.95 / 9780889714946

Conventions bent, conventions broken

Surreal Toronto-set novel takes place over a single day and features prose with a hypnotic cadence, staccato passages that are “closer … to Palahniuk than Hemingway,” and characters who speak “in impulsive half-sentences.” “And in the end,” our reviewer writes, “I would prefer to engage with art that takes these big swings, even if some of them occasionally miss, than to see no big swings taken at all.” —Logan Macnair reviews I Met Death & Sex Through My Friend, Tom Meuley, by Thom Vernon (Gananoque: Guernica Editions, 2024) $29.95 / 9781771838795

A shy girl and a smiling frog

Full of saturated colours and painterly style, a children’s picture book inspired in part by a Grimm fable traces the arc of Tsa’kwi’ah. She’s shy and lacking in confidence… until she spies a smiling green frog. —Brett Josef Grubisic reviews Pipa:m̓: The Touch of the Frog, by Joseph Dandurand (illustrated by Elinor Atkins) (Gibsons: Nightwood Editions, 2026) $15.95 / 9780889715004

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About “Rivers,” “Rocks,” and “Rubies”

“Pontefract fills his argument with far too much jargon, but he stresses an important point: by making older workers redundant we lose what he calls the ‘rubies’ on the job. That is the old-timers who have the collective know-how that needs to be combined with the ‘rivers’ and ‘rocks’ i.e., the new hires and the mid-career workers.” Ron Verzuh reviews The Future of Work Is Grey: The Untapped Value of Age in the Workplace, by Dan Pontefract (Vancouver: Page Two Books, 2026) $36.95 / 9781774586440

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Marbles and the Art of War

“The momentary victory didn’t seem complete, though, as my marble season was forever marred. I couldn’t play my winnings without some kid declaring that any marble with defining features was once theirs and trying to lay claim.” Marcella Kyrein explores the game of marbles battlefield during her Prince George elementary school years in her essay Marbles and the Art of War.

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Redefining Indigenous economics

“Hilton is effective in elucidating the many ways that the Indian Act has intentionally alienated First Nations from the Canadian economy. The Indian Act estranged them from the value of their lands and territories, with the government allowing itself through its fiscal responsibility over ‘Indian moneys’ to set a cap on what rents can be charged by band governments.” Matthew Downey reviews Deconstructing Indian Act Economics and the Rise of Indigenous Economic Power, by Carol Anne Hilton (Gabriola Island: New Society Publishers, 2025) $29.99 / 9781774060155

Dionysia, among the grapes

An artist, an oligarch, an ex-resistance operative who’s 94, a family vineyard in Crete… In a thought-provoking, prettily descriptive novel, the heist elements grab and hold a reader’s attention (while that’s less true for the protagonist’s erotic awakening). —Valerie Green reviews The Angels’ Share, by Jane Bow (New York: Red Elixir, 2026) $37.00 / 9781966293309

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Wilde’s charismatic web

“…almost everything about this book is careful, measured, and studied. Handling a figure who, as the subtitle suggests, has been subject to speculation and hearsay—but also adulation and condemnation—this book is almost entirely based on careful screening of evidence and extensive documentation.” Theo Dombrowski reviews Oscar Wilde’s Paris: Legends and Legacies, by Collette Colligan and Gregory Mackie (eds.) (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2025) $90 / 9781487541415

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The ongoing debate on solutions

“Elizabeth May said that COPs are important gatherings because they keep climate change on the map. She entered the forum in 1992 as the executive director of the Sierra Club of Canada and attended many COPs. One of her functions was to keep an eye on politicians sent to COPs and then report to environmental activists what she learned.” DC Reid reviews 30 Climate COPs Later: Stories from Canadian Participants, by Thomas Burelli, Alexandre Lillo, Lauren Touchant, Lynda Hubert Ta, and Elie Klee (eds.) (Ottawa: University of Ottawa Press, 2025) $24.95 / 9780776645575

Giraffeify. Byelaws. Full-stops.

An “intricate story about neither a library nor a brothel” and the first book in a new triptych, a novel showcases an author’s nonpareil sense of absurdity. “Schofield’s latest requires hard work, but it remunerates at time-and-a-half,” our reviewer says. —Marcie McCauley reviews Library of Brothel, by Anakana Schofield (Toronto: Knopf Canada, 2026) $35.00 / 9780735273245

Crossing a mythical landscape

A poet’s debut novel, “a quintessential fantasy story,” features an unconventional hero’s trial-filled quest. It’s awfully short for the fantasy genre, though, and that impacts its characterization (and a story that feels “a tad truncated”). —Zoe McKenna reviews Not All Dragons, by David Ly (Hamilton: Poplar Press/Wolsak & Wynn, 2026) $24.00 / 9781998408429

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