Dominique Fabre's The Waitress Was New (2005) Trans. Jordan Stump Archipelago Books, 2008 It begins very simply. "The waitress was new here." Pierre is not new; he has been the barman for years and years and years. When he watches the new waitress approach, it's the perspective of a seasoned
Make no mistake: autumn is my favourite season. I know I'm not alone in that, right? But even those who share my love of it often follow up by saying that winter is coming. Quite often I just keep quiet then, but sometimes I'll admit that I don't
Michael Ondaatje's The Cat's Table McClelland & Stewart, 2011 You can learn a lot from reading novels. For instance, in reading this one, you could learn the following: How to spell Egypt (Ever Grasping Your Precious Tits); The way to a first-class breakfast on a cruise even if you're not
Guy Vanderhaeghe's A Good Man McClelland & Stewart, 2011 Sebastian Barry has said that a good historical novel is about "retrieving the present moment".* That is true of Guy Vanderhaeghe's A Good Man. From the beautiful but austere cover art of the frontier, to the detailed descriptions of fort and
Marina Endicott's The Little Shadows Random House - Doubleday, 2011 Last Sunday, Marina Endicott appeared with Nicole Lundrigan, Riel Nason and Miriam Toews at a round table, moderated by the (talented) Susan G. Cole, at the 32nd annual International Festival of Authors. Sometimes in a round table session, one author
