Almost English by Barbara Sibbald
Reviewed by Deborah-Anne Tunney Reading the novel Almost English, a homage by Barbara Sibbald to her great-grandparents, I came to feel an endearing closeness and sympathy for its central characters. Although set in another country with other cultural references, the story highlights the similarities between their ambition for a fulfilling life and how it is the same as our ambition and countless other people world-wide. Generally, we all want to have close family relations,
A Long Walk With Fate by Liz Torlée
Reviewed by Wendy Hawkin Torlée’s third and latest novel offers glimpses into the art world, exotic locales (decor, culture, and cuisines), philosophical concepts, and the interweaving of lives and histories to illustrate one universal theme: the complexity of motherhood. Part One introduces several disparate characters who revolve around each other like planets in the night sky. At times, it’s hard to keep them straight. Twenty-six-year-old Aiden Quinn, the protagonist, is a
The Curve of the Corridor by Victoria Feistner
Reviewed by Robert Runté You know how in those cooking contest shows there’s often a ‘reinvention’ challenge, where the cooks are asked to take an everyday comfort food and ‘elevate’ it? The Curve of the Corridor is that for Space Opera. The story starts out with smugglers, a gang lord, and space pirates, but quickly moves onto a Mary Celeste situation: a giant generation-Ark floating abandoned in the middle of nowhere. As they delve into the mystery of what happened to the
ORB’s June 2026 Issue
For your summer beach reading, here are our insights into an eclectic selection of four recent books by Canadian authors, Mark Anthony Jarman, Thomas Trofimuk, Zsuzsi Gartner and Elinor Florence. We hope you enjoy the reviews! See you again in September.
Smash & Grab by Mark Anthony Jarman
Reviewed by Timothy Niedermann This latest effort by the prolific Mark Anthony Jarman is full of evidence of what has made him such an admired writer. While a couple of the stories are fairly straightforward, what characterizes most of them is what can be called “variegated depth.” What is meant by that is that Jarman does not simply lay out a story or its characters in a linear way. He adds scenes and details that stray far from his original plot line, adding nuance to the c
Saudade by Thomas Trofimuk
Reviewed by Robert Runté This is a novel about the fear of death, of loss and longing, of aimless searching. Wait, wait! Don’t leave! This is not the sort of tedious, depressing literary novel about death and dying that only a literature professor could love. This one is a surprisingly great read. It is a puzzle novel. A mystery, but not really the who-done-it-kind. More existential, but in a fun way. And, just under the surface, there is this wry humour: our hero pictures de
Best Canadian Stories 2026 edited by Zsuzsi Gartner
Reviewed by Timothy Niedermann Choosing the best Canadian stories in any given year is a daunting task: “hidden as they were amidst the forests of sameness and swamplands of meh,” as editor Zsuzsi Gartner so aptly puts it in her introduction. As if sifting for gold in a muddy stream, Gartner has culled through the pages of literary journals large and small to end up with a collection of fifteen gleaming nuggets. The first story, “We are Busy Being Alive” by Rishi Midha is a g
Wildwood by Elinor Florence
Reviewed by Wendy Hawkin I was so impressed with Florence’s historical Can Lit novel, Finding Flora (2025), I put Wildwood on my “to be read” list. I was not the only one impressed. The novel was so successful—debuting as a #1 National Bestseller in Canadian Fiction and remaining on the list for 27 consecutive weeks—Florence’s publisher, Simon & Schuster, contracted her prior work. Wildwood was originally published by Dundurn Press in 2018. The updated novel is available now,
May the ORB be with You
Finally, things are warming up in the Great White North! People are taking their travel trailers out of storage, opening up their summer cottages and planning exciting trips. Or they're just kicking back for a staycation with a cool drink. Whatever your plans, make room for a good book. Perhaps one of this month's selection will interest you? In our May issue, our core reviewers offer their insights on four exceptional books: Pay No Heed to the Rockets by Marcello Di Cintio;
Pay No Heed to the Rockets by Marcello Di Cintio
Reviewed by Ian Thomas Shaw Although not a new book—it was published in 2018—Marcello Di Cintio’s account of his encounters with Palestinian writers continues to leave an indelible impression on readers. Rather than offering a sweeping history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or a journalistic catalogue of atrocities and diplomatic failures, Di Cintio approaches Palestine through its literature, its storytellers, and the fragile persistence of cultural life under occupatio
