Exceptional debut novel portrays the horrors of the Lord’s Resistance Army insurgency in Uganda, particularly as experienced by schoolgirls abducted and indoctrinated for service to the cause.—Brett Josef Grubisic reviews We, the Kindling, by Otoniya Okot Bitek (Toronto: Alchemy by Knopf Canada, 2026) $22.00 / 9781039009301
In an appealing, ruminative collection of “smart stuff,” a poet looks to own remote past, as well as a city’s past, present, and (possible) future. In imagining and telling new stories, the poetry works to challenge presumptions embedded in colonial history. —Harold Rhenisch reviews Inventing What We Need to Know, by W.H. New (Oakville: Rock’s Mills Press, 2025) $20.00 / 9781772443240
“The title’s invocation of Van Gogh’s painting proves apt. Like the artist’s swirling night sky, Mootoo’s prose contains turbulence within careful composition. The result resembles pointillism: individual impressions that cohere into recognizable forms only when viewed from proper distance.” —Selena Mercuri reviews. Starry Starry Night, by Shani Mootoo (Toronto: Book*hug Press, 2025) $24.95 / 9781771669566
As Luba, a child in a remote Doukhobor community located in southern British Columbia, hides in a root cellar, she is flooded with memories of the harrowing events that led to her captivity. “The Invisible Child,” a short story by Denise Evdokimoff.
Atmospheric and poetic writing supports a striking novel that follows an aunt and niece on a perilous, uncertain journey. —Bill Paul reviews Bad Land, by Corinna Chong (Vancouver: Arsenal Pulp Press, 2024) $24.95 / 9781551529592