Spiritual Connections

The New Testament scholar James L. Resseguie described the Book of Revelation as having a master plot that depicts the deep spiritual struggles of seekers on the path toward a promised land. That quest is echoed in the title of Michelle Syba’s debut collection, End Times, which follows both Christian and non-religious protagonists as their beliefs are tested and their lives transformed. The author herself grew up in a Pentecostal home in Toronto before losing her faith. Now a literature professor at Dawson College, in Montreal, she writes with acumen and grace about the human desire to find meaning and connection — whether through sacred or secular means.

The seven nuanced tales in End Times feature several characters who adhere to a literal interpretation of the Bible, but the common assumptions about fundamentalists are largely absent. None of the Christian...