After the Plague by T.C. Boyle

Why had I never heard of this guy? This collection of stories by the incredibly prolific American writer T.C. Boyle, is stellar. From bachelors trying to find love in Alaska, to a bartender who gets obsessed with an Internet "peep house", to a post-apocalyptic world peopled by loners, the stories never disappoint. Boyle has an incredibly dark sense of humour that hovers between satire and irony as he explores the foibles of contemporary society. Highly recommended.

We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

Pretty much a sociopath from the moment he's born, at 15, Kevin Khatchadourian kills seven students, a teacher and a cafeteria worker at his school. Told after the fact in a series of letters from his mother, Eva, to her husband and Kevin's father, Franklin, Eva relates the history of the family, trying to find a reason for Kevin's actions.

A nasty book, in the best possible way, Kevin's upbringing is full of horrible events that may or may not have anything to do with him.

An intelligently written book with a surprise ending. Recommended.

Barrel Fever by David Sedaris

I never realized David Sedaris wrote fiction until finding this book in a box of cast-offs in my apartment hallway. Sedaris' first publication, this collection of stories and essays is enjoyable, but lacks the refined wit of his later work.

The stories are undoubtedly funny, often taking an unconventional form. One story is a suicide note to be delivered at the funeral, another is a holiday letter from a family who has experienced a bizarre tragedy, and one of my favourites - a homophobia newsletter from an oversensitive young man. A reader familiar with Sedaris' later work can almost feel him trying things out, learning how to approach comedic writing and adopting the intelligent deadpan he is famous for.

Similarly, the essays are not as polished as I'm use to, lacking strong conclusions and feeling more like anecdotes. A quick and fun read, but his later work is really when he starts to shine.

Remainder by Tom McCarthy

After a mysterious accident in which debris falls from the sky, a man receives an 8 1/2 million pound settlement. A few days later, at a party, the man sees a crack in the wall of the bathroom which expands into the very specific memory of a place he used to live. He remembers the stairwells and banisters, the neighbours and their habits, and even the view of the roof of the building next door. Using his vast wealth, he goes about re-creating this scene, buying buildings and hiring an armada of designers, tradespeople and actors to re-create this space. What follows is a chain of increasingly complex re-creations as the man looses all sense of reality.

Often an irritating read as the protagonist goes over the minutiae of his faux worlds again and again. Remainder is unique, but frustrating more than compelling. McCarthy's cyclical narrative impedes much from actually happening and the protagonist is treated more as a prop than a human being.

If you're a fan of existential no-plot narratives (see Knut Hamsun's Hunger and Kazuo Ishiguro's The Unconsoled) give it a read, otherwise, not recommended.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Contrary to popular belief, Frankenstein is not the monster. Frankenstein is the scientist that creates the monster. The monster is just the monster, he doesn't have a name. 

Dr. Frankenstein has been a bad scientist. After creating a living being, he flees from his creation in fright. The doctor's life returns to normal until those close to him start to turn up dead.

It's a timeless story and a painless classic.

Barometer Rising by Hugh MacLennan

Until reading this book, the extent of my knowledge about the explosion in Halifax during World War I comes from a Joel Plaskett song where he sings;

"Wanna know the truth? / I was thinking 'bout ships / in the Halifax harbour / before they blew the city to bits / in nineteen hundred, seventeen."

The truth of the matter is that this event was on par with the World Trade Centre attacks. The blast had 1/6th of the power of the blast that destroyed Hiroshima as a ship that contained 3000 tonnes of explosives blew up in the harbour. 2000 people were killed, 6000 wounded and 9000 left homeless.

It is this event that provides the climax for Hugh MacLennan's novel. Taking place over eight days in December 1917, Barometer Rising is a war novel situated not in the battle fields of Europe, but at the third most important port in the British Empire, Halifax.

Neil McCrae is hiding out in the city, searching for the one person that can clear his name from a court martial. He needs to avoid Geoffrey Wain, his uncle and the commander of his battalion, whose order he disobeyed. McCrae's cousin and Wain's daughter, Penny, is showing herself to be an expert ship designer having only got the opportunity because the men are at war. Penny is being pursued by an aged Colonel, Angus Murray, who was a Medical Officer before an injury sent him back to Canada, though Penny is still carrying a torch for her cousin who is presumed dead.

A surprisingly good read, though MacLennan obviously has an affinity for Halifax and its environs, describing the harbour, shipyards and areas of the city to the point of tedium. The plot is slightly botched as the explosion renders the character's problems moot, but this is not enough to ruin the read. 

An important artifact of Canadiana both for its literary quality and its historical significance.

The Flying Troutmans - Miriam Toews

I knew little about Winnipeg author Miriam Toews personal life until listening to an episode of This American Life. In the episode, Toews talks briefly about a road trip with her teenage son and 12-year old daughter. Her son is quiet and brings his CD's for accompaniment. The daughter is chatty and precocious and occupies herself with art supplies and comic books.

Toews' newest book, The Flying Troutmans, concerns a similar road trip. When Hattie Troutman's sister, Min, is hospitalized, Hattie gets temporary custody of Min's children, Logan and Thebes. The three then embark on a road trip to find the children's father. Teenage Logan carves morbid sayings into the dashboard and looks for places to play basketball at every stop. 11-year-old Thebes never washes and talks incessantly. Hattie calls her ex-boyfriend in Paris and tries to keep it all together.

As usual, Toews' prose is funny and lucid. It manages to be both smart and conversational. However, the star in this novel is Thebes. Her purple hair, bizarre outfits, and fondness for making and writing out over sized novelty cheques, are totally endearing and come off as sincere rather than smarmy.

Despite echos of other books (Summer of My Amazing Luck is also about a road trip to find a missing father), this is another gem from Toews.