Rock Group

This anthology of short stories from seventeen authors based in Newfoundland has a fitting title: “hard ticket” is, as the cover attests, local slang meaning “a lively character, a tough or headstrong person, someone not easily controlled.” Edited by the award-winning novelist Lisa Moore, the collection will be a pleasant surprise for readers expecting small rural towns, eccentric country folk, and fish. Indeed, Moore has called upon a diverse cast of contributors, including some with connections to Jamaica, India, China, and Taiwan, along with writers from other provinces who’ve come to call Newfoundland and Labrador home. With stories that feature visible minorities, pet owners, and queer lovers, among others, the collection explores questions of gender, sexuality, and class.

Hard Ticket leads off with “Snowblower” by Michelle Porter. “I’d wanted to kill my father before my mother served dessert,” it begins. “Dad liked to think he was funny.” At first...