The Seaboard Review of Books, October 29, 2025
Volume 2, Issue 47 of The Seaboard Review of Books, October 29, 2025
*Editor’s note: There will be no Monday or Wednesday issues of The Seaboard Review of Books the week of November 3rd. The next issue will be out on Monday, November 10th.
In this issue:
Five Points on an Invisible Line by Su J Sokol (Fiction)
The Austens: A Novel by Sarah Emsley
Hide and Sikh: Letters from a Life in Brown Skin by Sunny Dhillon (Non-Fiction, Memoir)
The River of Life—Nature Symbolism in A River Runs Through It (Essay)
New, Old and Notable by Gordon Phinn (A new feature!)
Thanks for reading this issue of The Seaboard Review of Books!
James M. Fisher, editor-in-chief
Fiction
Five Points on an Invisible Line by Su J Sokol
Around a decade ago, Montreal writer Su Sokol’s first novel, Cycling to Asylum, was published. In August 2025, Sokol re-released an updated version of Cycling to Asylum titled Invisible Line. Sokol’s newest book, Five Points on an Invisible Line, picks up the story of the characters introduced in the first novel, providing them with new adventures.
The Austens: A Novel by Sarah Emsley
In The Austens, her debut novel, Sarah Emsley imagines Jane Austen’s life and times during a period (1802-1814) of great personal upheaval, but also one of significant creative accomplishment.
Non-Fiction
Hide and Sikh: Letters from a Life in Brown Skin by Sunny Dhillon
As a society, we like to believe that we have made progress, and in some ways, we have. Sunny Dhillon’s Hide and Sikh: Letters from a Life in Brown Skin draws attention to the fact that our progress is by no means complete, that although we apply the correct rhetoric publicly and make the proper claims regarding cultural diversity and inclusion, systemi…
The River of Life—Nature Symbolism in A River Runs Through It
An autobiographical journey of the relationship between two brothers expressed through their connection to the region where they fly fish, adventure, and return to, a river as a metaphor for life.
New, Old and Notable: Volume 1, Issue 1
This is the inaugural post of New, Old & Notable, a reoccurring column by Gordon Phinn in which he concisely reviews several books from the past and present. Links will take you to the publisher’s page for more information.
Brief Notes on Books Present & Past
(Note: clicking on the underlined link takes you to the book’s publisher page or Amazon.ca for more information or for purchasing purposes. Support your local bookseller or independent publisher if you can.)
Guy Gavriel Kay’s Fionavar Tapestry
Several years ago, a co-worker loaned me The Summer Tree, the first book in Canadian author Guy Gavriel Kay’s Fionavar Tapestry trilogy. “You should read this,” he told me. “I think you’ll like it.” I accepted his offer, having no idea I’d soon be discovering one of my all-time favourite reads. Consisting of The Summer Tree, The Wandering Fire, and The Darkest Road, most of the action in the Fionavar Tapestry books takes place in a different world that is accessible (with the aid of magic) from ours. Offering political intrigue, richly imagined cultures, and a classic good-versus-evil confrontation, the books in the Fionavar Tapestry follow the actions of five people from “our” world as they are caught up in events in Fionavar.
The Fionavar Trilogy depicts a fantasy world peopled with dwarves, elves, humans, mages, mythical beings, and sinister creatures. The books feature high-stakes battles and self-sacrifice, but also provide moments of levity, fun, and frivolity. I’ve read and enjoyed many of Kay’s other works, including those set in the worlds of A Brightness Long Ago and Written on the Dark, but the Fionavar Tapestry will always hold a special place on my bookshelf. (Contributed by Lisa Timpf)
Opening Day for The Happy Duck Bookshop & Readery!
Congratulations to Naomi MacKinnon on the opening of her new book store! Naomi is a frequent contributor to The Seaboard Review of Books, as well as her own book review blog, Consumed by Ink. The Happy Duck Bookshop & Readery (new and used books and local art) is located at 586 Prince St., in Truro, Nova Scotia. Their Facebook page is here.
The Seaboard Review of Books is proud to be a sponsor of The New Brunswick Book Awards!
Support Us!
Ko-fi: you can choose from one-time donations to a $5/month membership.
Patreon: memberships from $3/month on up.
PayPal.me/theseaboardreview For one-time payments.
We also appreciate any “likes” and “shares” on social media!