Editorial Reviews

Turning a revelatory lens on the contexts, choices, and seminal moments that defined his life, and an entire generation, Compliments of Pet Milk: A Boomer’s Odyssey Across the Millennium Divide by Steven J. Long is a thoughtful reflection on modern American history and our nation’s cultural future. An intimately penned memoir from a proud and passionate Boomer, the author examines everything from the immigrant experience, organized religion, and the evolution of family values to circumcision, Cub Scouts, and the shadowy side of the American dream. Packed with entertaining and deeply detailed anecdotes, as well as insightful analyses of cultural norms and societal taboos, this is a nostalgic, eye-opening, and oftentimes humorous account from a grizzled survivor of that controversial but revolutionary generation.

Lyrical, reflective, and rich with visceral verse, Temporal Echoes/Ecos En El Tiempo by Ivan A Salazar M is a bilingual plunge into the depths of emotive poetry. Focusing on the natural world, family, indigenous culture, and the philosophy of life as well as betrayal, heartbreak, mortality, and societal tragedy, these poems explore the full spectrum of subject, form, and style. Whether touching on universal concepts, specific memories, or nuances of contemporary history, these pieces are impactful and layered with meaning, expressed via rhyming couplets or a creative use of short verse. Accompanied by striking art pieces that neatly match the mood of Salazar’s words, this is a well-polished collection of exploratory and existential poetry.

A painfully relevant novel about poisonous patriotism, Them by Andrew J. Gregor is a striking statement about youth, indoctrination, and the ideological evolution of America. Jonah is a Midwest teen with a racist mechanic for a father, while Leila is a Muslim immigrant with a scarred family history and too much experience dealing with prejudice. Their unconventional connection veers toward star-crossed tragedy when Jonah’s father takes his bigotry to new heights of violence, emboldened by a national surge of Islamophobia and isolationism. Highlighting our modern era of misinformation and malicious beliefs, Gregor’s novel is a clear-eyed critique of virulent ignorance and a stirring plea for greater wisdom in generations to come.

An inventive and sometimes disturbing collection of stories, Mr Forward & Other Tails of Loss by Eric Herkert is a surreal plunge into the bizarre connections of ordinary lives. An innocent family’s cursed day of the week, disappearing doctor’s offices, a devilish puppeteer of mischief and murder, and the secret schemes of cats – homicidal, telepathic, and otherwise – make this a wild and genre-bending web of off-kilter storytelling. Exploring the casual desperation of solitude and the lingering effects of loss, this neatly curated collection is alternately profound and chilling, for a wholly original work of literary short fiction.

An ominous thriller in the mysterious wilds of British Columbia, To Right a Wrong by Yuwa Hedrick-Wong is a multilayered whodunit with compelling investigators and an enticing number of twists. When the death of her ambitious friend Kim is classified as a suicide, Shaunna Duncan delves into solving what she rightfully believes was a murder. Supported by an eclectic crime-solving team, she unpacks the truth of Kim’s dangerous side hustles and the deadly webs in which he’d become entangled. Hedrick-Wong delivers a relatable set of characters in this strong opening to the Salt Spring Island Murder Mystery series, which crackles with small-town tension, the free-wheeling energy of amateur sleuthing, and an engrossing mystery at its core.