“So this is what the after looks like. A void. Vast. Silent. Claustrophobic.” The novel, Above the Waterline, by Francois Domain, explores the reasons that relationships that feel stable and tolerable may not be enough for our partners and/or children. As the protagonist, Eddie, suddenly finds himself facing a different life when his wife expresses her dissatisfaction with their marriage and the possibility of a separation lingering amid her words, he escapes to another country. However, he quickly learns that he cannot keep himself from reflecting beyond what must be wrong with his wife and the source of her unhappiness, as his budding friendships with hotel guests fluctuate and sour when it is pointed out how his behaviors circulate a toxicity that he has been unwilling to acknowledge. Above the Waterline digs into the ease we ignore our disagreeable traits, and small changes that we may make to improve not only the lives of those around us but in core satisfaction of our lives.

“I’d pray Mozo’s suspicion had been right, and I’d find something at Santa Rosa to guarantee the Rangers would come after Javier, but I’d found more than I’d dared to hope for, and more than I’d thought to fear.” The novel, Sarita, by Natalie Dossett, focuses on its title protagonist, Sarita, as she seeks vengeance following a tragedy that results in the death of her younger brother and worsening health of her father. Refusing to feel useless or overlooked, she charges forward in a riveting tale of retribution, as we witness her triumphs, setbacks, and resolve in reaching her target. The novel depicts the unrelenting well of strength of its lead character, as she is quickly forced to discover beyond her perceived limitations in confrontation with an array of new and old relationships, all while using expressive prose that explores the novel’s underlying themes.

“She loved her mother, but she didn’t want to be like her, and she wondered if there was a way to pick out the parts she admired—her mother’s capacity for joy, her generosity, grace, and deep-down loyalty to her daughter.” The novel, True Home, by Janet Clare, explores the nature, impact, and ongoing complexity of relationships, centrally focused on the mother/daughter relationship between Christina and Swanee Burrows. The novel delves into the fallout of scandal from their respective husband/father’s actions, and their hectic albeit understandable reactions to the collapse of their family. As Christina attempts to find comfort with her first husband, Colin, ignoring the prior hurt of her sudden departure, Swanee seeks any escape from the parents she cannot seem to rely upon. True Home skillfully explores the extent we may go to leave our pain behind, and the resolve we discover when we confront these burdens.

“I don’t want to tell Ari that everything will be okay and the people you love will always be there, because I’m not sure it will and I’m damn sure they won’t.” The novel, Beautiful Losers, by Alix Galvin, delves into the renovated life and endeavors of its protagonist, Fiadh Murphy, as she reinvents herself by hosting a bed and breakfast in another country with her young son, Ari.  As she attempts to repair a property, more severely dilapidated than she recalled signing up for, she is the caught in the midst of caring for a cast of characters, including a famous journalist guest, Jack Hamilton, quickly discovering that his opinion can either bolster or destroy her newfound dream. Beautiful Losers explores Fiadh’s experiences that not only shape her, but also reveal the depth of her empathy and strength.

“The girl appeared ethereal, her bi-coloured skin like glass, her delicate features exquisite in the sunlight. Diminished as she was, she carried an air that seemed to mock the drab uniformity of the place.” The novella, Half Moon, by Burt Mango leads us through what appears to be a dystopian society of sorts in which there are conclaves of people protected by soldiers in fear of wandering nomads. We discover that one of the central characters, Amma, has been expelled from these nomads due to her unique appearance with a spectacular representation on the book cover that further brings the character to life. The novella explores the impact and support that two lost individuals can provide when excluded from society in one form or another, and their trials when facing ongoing aggression at being perceived as the most vulnerable in this society.

“It was easier not to think about it. Why take the sharp tip of a nail and drive it into your own heart day after day, until you feel like dying on account of the pain bleeding out?” The novel, On Veil Creek, by Gaylene Dutchyshen, is a weighty family drama about the hardships of small-town farm life in a troubled home of parents with diverging fixations to combat their personal pain. We view the family through the perspectives of the younger siblings, Marissa and Tommy, as we gain insight into their hopes as children, and the burden that carries into later life when there are unresolved and hushed tragedies that cause distrust in a family that desperately needs each other. On Veil Creek explores the distress that a troubled childhood can wreck upon one’s adult life, and the healing that trust and communication can ultimately provide.

“On the psychological level, it manifests as a constant escape from reality, social isolation, lack of motivation, a loss of the ability to enjoy small pleasures, and extreme mood swings—which in severe cases can lead to a nervous breakdown.” “They seemed to me like people who couldn’t be alone for even a moment, they were too shallow to get depressed and they managed to live in the moment and made sure everyone knew it.” The novel, Marcus Morus Syndrome: One Hell of an Adventure, by Guy Uri, fixated both of these quotes to the forefront of my mind, as we carve through the dissociation of the central character, Lenny Cohen, as he suffers in the concept that his death is a mistake, trapped in an afterlife with a perceived right to escape and avoid the ongoing torment of a hell concentrated on its sheer tedium. In the use of evocative prose, Marcus Morus Syndrome guides us to through perspectives and beliefs, as it relates to any situation, and the chains we may not even recognize that bind us in into a particular mindset.

“The harmony of the earlier, predominantly national peculiarities of the movement with the current social peculiarities filled Mikola’s heart with the unusual joy, for he was fully convinced that only on the social and national party would the Belarusian revival be certain and capable of swiftly encompassing the vast masses of Belarusian peasantry.” “The social aspect of the revival would capture the most worthwhile, valuable and cultured parts of the remaining Belarusian bourgeoisie.” The novel, Two Souls, by Maksim Haretski and translated by Olya Ianovskaia, delivers an encapsulating insight into the effect of the Bolshevik revolution, beyond Russian society, to those of surrounding countries, specifically Belarus. Two Souls, through the views of multiple characters, skillfully centers on the observations and considerations of its principal character, Ignat Abdiziralovich, as he attempts to find his place amongst the social upheaval affecting Belarusian identity and his stance on these diverging reforms.

“The danger comes when you try to change the people and the land to put America in its place. You will find us too stubborn for that. Because whether an egg is dropped on a stone or a stone on an egg, it is always the egg that breaks. Our culture is made of stone, and we don’t need the help of the West to find ourselves. Just wait. One day, we will give you our hand, not as a beggar, but as a friend.” The novel, Malipolitan, by Christopher Dainton, focuses on the endeavors of its central character, Doctor Paul, who seeks to find a place amongst Malians in West African society that he in turn desires to aid. However, through his experiences in romantic misunderstandings and struggles in the medical field despite his altruistic intentions, Malipolitan artfully delves into the doubts, language barriers, cultural differences, and pre-conceived notions the Canadian doctor brings to his practice.

“Men and women got up from wooden folding chairs, walked up to the podium, and talked about their day-to-day troubles living in and out of other people’s skins. Emily had a feeling they were silently, between the lines, betraying deeper narratives than would ever be spoken aloud.” The novel, Mit Out Sound, by Rick Lenz, treks into the taxing burden of imposter syndrome by leading us through not only Jimmy Riley and Tom Manfredo’s lives in relation to the novel’s protagonist, Emily Bennet, but their performance as actors in roles that must exude and imitate the underlying essence of James Dean and John Wayne, respectively, through characters of an unfinished and long forgotten Western film starring the two legends. Though the central focus is on the completion of the film, Mit Out Sound explores a tangle of relationships and the depths that prior experiences can resonate through the psyche years later in a multitude of self-destructive behaviors.