The Seaboard Review of Books: Monday, June 1, 2026
June 1, 2026
In this issue:
Nowhere: A Graphic Novel by Jon Claytor (Fiction, Graphic Novel)
The Forgotten Midwife by Laura Anthony (Fiction)
The Fort George Murders of 1823: Crisis and Coexistence in New Caledonia by Geoff Mynett (Non-Fiction)
Numb: The Politics of Overwhelm by Mark Abley (Non-Fiction)
John’s Table: Poems by Lesle Lewis (Poetry)
James’ Review Roundup
Thanks for reading this issue of The Seaboard Review of Books!
James M. Fisher, editor-in-chief
James' Review Roundup
While the winter of 2025/2026 wasn’t a bad one from the standpoint of weather (our worst storms came in March), it was one filled with the three “Rs,” reading, renovations, and retirement. These three things combined to make life interesting, and now that the retirement process and ceremonies are done with and the renovation dust has settled, let’s get …
Fiction
Nowhere: A Graphic Novel by Jon Claytor
Shadowy zombies, red eyes gleaming hungrily. Shadowy wolves, leaving red footprints in their wake. A mysterious giant cube that recalls the 2001: A Space Odyssey monolith, with its hopeful suggestion of friendly aliens—but scratch any idea of friendly. The cube has pools of blood seeping from underneath.
The Forgotten Midwife by Laura Anthony
Laura Anthony’s harrowing and heartrending novel, The Forgotten Midwife tackles the shameful history of the Magdalene laundries, facilities that operated in Ireland under the auspices of the Catholic Church for over a century.
Non-Fiction
The Fort George Murders of 1823: Crisis and Coexistence in New Caledonia by Geoff Mynett
Personally, I find anything surrounding the history of the Hudson’s Bay Company to be fascinating, and The Fort George Murders of 1823: Crisis and Coexistence in New Caledonia doesn’t disappointment. For me, it fits the slot of a now little known part of, at least to me, a 350-year-old story.
Numb: The Politics of Overwhelm by Mark Abley
“If you’re distracted, if you’re burned out, if you’re emotionally numb, you won’t see or feel the world rushing by. You won’t hear it, either.”
Poetry
John’s Table: Poems by Lesle Lewis
Lesle Lewis’ John’s Table is part of the lineup put out by new publisher Piżama Press in 2026. It’s an 86-page single sectioned book, and the 6th full poetry collection of Lesle. Her debut collection, Small Boat, was the winner of the 2002 Iowa Poetry Prize. I liked it very much, and marked up at least half of the digital ARC. A comparable writer might…
What’s the Point? By Steven Laffoley
Point Pleasant Park is a popular, well-known and well-used park in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and if you ever wanted to know all there is to know about it, look no further. As in his other “irreverent guides,” Laffoley feeds us a lot of interesting information with side notes and a good sense of humour along the way.
In What’s the Point?, Laffoley explains the origins of Point Pleasant Park, talks about the many monuments and historical sites around the park, discusses the dizzying array of flora and fauna (including the happy, frolicking, off-leash dogs), the tragedies that occurred, and how the park has been used and what it has meant to different groups of people over the years. You’ll learn things you’ve always wanted to know as well as things you never knew you wanted to know. You’ll wonder when the next trivia night at the pub is (and think about lending the owners a copy of your book).
—Contributed by Naomi MacKinnon
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