Adam Johnson, The Orphan Master’s Son (Random House, 2012)
Johnson explores the horrors of life in North Korea, from a prison colony to the internal operations of the security services. Employing the tools of magic realism – perhaps the only tools that could possibly capture the insanity of the world he reveals – Johnson creates a masterpiece that, despite its grim storyline is nonetheless a paean to courage and sacrifice.
Colm Tóibín, The Testament of Mary (McClelland & Stewart, 2012).
I usually like Tóibín’s work, but was disappointed by this short novel. In my edition, it weighs in at 104 pages, but felt like hard work to slog through. Imagining Jesus’s mother as a sad, angry and guilt-ridden elderly woman, Tóibín tries to humanize her and to undermine the myths that grew around the Galilean […]
Philip Roth, Indignation (Viking Canada, 2008)
Lesser Roth is still Roth: vital, ribald, deeply human. Without the profound insight of the Zuckerman novels, Indignation is still a bildungsroman of depth and charm.
Lisa Moore, Caught (Anansi, 2013)
Moore keeps being considered for major prizes, but remains the bridesmaid, so to speak. I am not sure why, as her narratives are strong and her writing is exuberant yet remarkably precise and filled with powerful images. Caught is the story of David Slaney, an attractive young convicted drug trafficker who escapes from prison determined […]
UBC Opens India Office
February 25 marked the formal opening of the University of British Columbia –India Liaison Office.
Governor General of Canada State Visit to India
I am delighted to have been asked to participate in the official delegation for the Governor General of Canada’s state visit to India.