RaveQuill & Quire (CAN)Though Echlin insulates the reader from bearing the full force of these stories under the guise of fiction, she also makes it clear that these things really happened; this is not the stuff of imagined worst nightmares but the reality of an ancient tradition of women being treated as spoils of war. Her writing is at its most powerful in these moments, her anger couched in terms of brutality ... perhaps \'novel\' is an imperfect categorization for Speak, Silence. The story of Gota and Kosmos, rooted in the tried-and-true device of a love triangle, is a comfortably familiar ribbon of fiction in the book. The story of Edina and the women she represents, the experiences she describes, and the testimony of the other victims in scenes set during the trial, however, feels far more like reportage. The result is an incredibly forceful book that insists readers sit up and pay attention; despite the gains made with the Foča trial, most of us continue to turn a blind eye to abuses taking place around the world. With her latest work, Echlin demands more of us.
Patrick DeWitt
RaveThe Quill & Quire\"Do not be fooled by how disarmingly funny Patrick deWitt’s latest novel is. Though you will likely find yourself laughing out loud on numerous occasions while reading French Exit (assuming you enjoyed the author’s previous work or have a decent sense of humour), the book is a bleak, heartbreaking tragedy of the first order ...While we are following the self-inflicted downfall of Frances and Malcolm and getting pulled into their relationships with the other characters, deWitt subtly yet explicitly jabs at us to pay attention to the grander themes of humility, generosity, and even finding one’s purpose in life. The fact that he does so while making us snort in amusement renders the experience that much more enriching. With French Exit, deWitt proves that while The Sisters Brothers may have made his name as an author, it was far from a singular success.\
David Chariandy
RaveHamilton Review of BooksBeyond the superbly written setting and characters, what is most striking about Brother is Chariandy’s brutally honest depiction of the prejudice, violence, and lack of opportunity faced by the denizens of the Park, and so many other neighbourhoods like it ... CanLit is often derided for its reliance on stories of the past and remembering the hurts of previous generations. What Chariandy has crafted with Brother is a book that bridges the gap between recollection and timeliness.
