Literary Review of Canada | A Journal of Ideas

This week with bookworm

Emily Mernin reviews Ghost Stories of the Great Lakes, by Mark Leslie. John Casey on Adrian Michael Kelly’s Maybe It’s Me. A writerly panorama.

A Coral Anniversary

A panoramic reflection

Kyle Wyatt

More Unbearable Lightness

Somewhere between patriotism and nationalism

Patrice Dutil

An illustration by Matthew Daley for John Lorinc’s November 2026 review of “By Authority of Parliament,” by Ryan Alford.

Clause and Effect

How section 33 barrels along

John Lorinc

Notice of Commotion

The Hill has eyes

Jeffrey Simpson

A photo by Hulton Archive for Caroline Noël’s November 2026 review of “Courage and Grit: The Legacy of Canada’s Bomb Girls,” by Barbara Dickson.

Powder Room

When women filled the factories

Caroline Noël

An illustration by Nick Lowndes for David Marks Shribman’s November 2026 review of “Operation Sparrow” by Jason Bell.

Host of Deception

Fascists, flights, and fakeries

David Marks Shribman

An illustration by Tom Chitty for Pamela Divinsky’s November 2026 review of “The Dominion of Shoppers,” by Steve Penfold.

Attention to Retail

On the shelf and off the rack

Pamela Divinsky

An illustration by Sandi Falconer for Michael Strizic’s November 2026 review of “Battle Axes,” by Sean Kelly.

None More Black

In a blaze of spandex

Michael Strizic

An illustration by Blair Kelly for Dan Falk’s November 2026 review of “Animal Diaspora,” by Edward Struzik.

Cold Case

Where’d that mammoth go?

Dan Falk

An illustration by Natàlia Pàmies Lluís for Maria Cichosz’s November 2026 review of “What Would You Do Alone in a Cage with Nothing but Cocaine?” by Hanna Pickard.

If It Knocked on Your Door

Toward a better understanding of addiction

Maria Cichosz

An illustration by Sarah Farquhar for Lisa Gregoire’s November 2026 review of “In Fertility,” by Kathryn Blaze Baum.

The Cost of Reproduction

When at first you don’t succeed

Lisa Gregoire

An illustration by Jori Bolton for Catriona Menzies-Pike’s November 2026 review of “The Ten Stories: What Aging Parents Want Us to Hear,” by Mary Ann McColl.

Uphill Both Ways

Why we’ve heard it all before

Catriona Menzies-Pike

An illustration by Diana Bolton for Bronwyn Averett’s November 2026 review of “Women, Walking,” edited by Zahra Ebrahim and Jane Farrow.

Gait Keepers

Sidewalks, trails, and other pathways

Bronwyn Averett

An illustration by Silas Kaufman for Steven Threndyle’s November 2026 review of “Seventy: A Diary of My Seventy-First Year,” by Ian Brown.

Mature Content

Ian Brown realizes he’s no spring chicken

Steven Threndyle

Road Work

To be young and mobile

David Venn

Through the Branches

Finding what was always there

Ian Canon

Worth a Thousand Words

It all started with a picture

Evelyn C. White

A Quick Thank You

If not for the book clubs of Dubai

David Macfarlane

Luv Lttr

The magic of Bill Bissett

Emily Mernin

An illustration by Karsten Petrat for Amanda Perry’s November 2026 review of “C’était ça ou mourir,” by Thélyson Orélien.

In Limbo

Thélyson Orélien’s suddenly controversial novel

Amanda Perry

An illustration by Dave Murray for Kevin Jagernauth’s November 2026 review of “The Colour of Time,” by Eric Dupont and translated by Peter McCambridge.

Fruit Loops

Eric Dupont’s pulp fiction

Kevin Jagernauth

An illustration by Neil Webb for John Casey’s November 2026 review of “Daphnis and Chloe,” by Colin McAdam.

What’s Love Got to Do with It?

Colin McAdam reimagines a Greek pastoral

John Casey

An illustration by Scot Ritchie for Rod Moody-Corbett’s November 2026 review of “The Cartel and Other Cover Stories,” by Wayne Grady.

Familiar but Different

In the style of Wayne Grady

Rod Moody-Corbett

An illustration by Dave Cutler for Sophia Ohler’s November 2026 review of “A Glacier’s Guide to Dying,” by Michelle Porter.

Frozen Formation

Michelle Porter looks through the cracks

Sophia Ohler

An illustration by YQ Huang for J.R. Patterson’s November 2026 review of “The Instrument Must Not Matter,” by Christine Fischer Guy.

Play It Again, Lila

A novel by Christine Fischer Guy

J.R. Patterson

An illustration by Lou Kiss for Sandra Martin’s November 2026 review of “Ten Clear Days,” by Eric Beck Rubin.

Her Decision

Eric Beck Rubin on saying goodbye

Sandra Martin

Pages Left to Turn

That was a ridiculous idea

Chris Jones

Some Assembly Required?

Very Big in Sheboygan

Here There Be Monsters