The Seaboard Review of Books September 10, 2025
Volume 2, Issue 35 of The Seaboard Review of Books, September 10, 2025
In this issue:
Fugitive Rifts by A-M Mawhiney
Yellow Birds by Karen Green
The Girls of Belvedere by Michelle T. Clements
On the Ground: My Life as a Foreign Correspondent by Brian Stewart
Featured Review
Fugitive Rifts by A-M Mawhiney
Fugitive Rifts by A-M Mawhiney is, on one level, the story of four teens from different walks of life who form enduring friendships and find their way to their goals. On another level, it presents a paradigm for a way of embracing the world, one that draws all those it encounters together, and can perhaps transform the world. The last section recreates …
Fiction
Yellow Birds by Karen Green
Karen Green takes readers on a breezy summer fling of a book along with “Kait” who is trying on a new identity as part of the eponymous “Yellow Birds”. The Yellow Birds are the hangers-on who follow their favourite band across the states. Kids in tie-dye regalia, a mess of tanned limbs, a self-contained ‘society’ which directly channels Deadheads and Th…
The Girls of Belvedere by Michelle T. Clements
The Girls of Belvedere, the first novel by playwright and filmmaker Michelle Clements, makes it clear in the Author's Note and in the publisher's press releases, that, although the story is fiction, it is based closely on experiences endured by the author's mother. She was institutionalized in the century-old Belvedere Orphanage in St. John's, Newfoundl…
Non-Fiction
On the Ground: My Life as a Foreign Correspondent by Brian Stewart
Brian Stewart tells what it was like being On the Ground
Hot Takes: 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.)
Moon of the Turning Leaves by Waubgeshig Rice
Moon of the Turning Leaves is the second book in Waubgeshig Rice’s dystopian “Moon” series. The first book, Moon of the Crusted Snow, portrays a small northern Anishinaabe community dealing with a widespread (possibly worldwide) societal and infrastructure breakdown that has occurred for reasons unknown to the community members.
Moon of the Turning Leaves picks up the story of the community members just over a decade after the events of the first book. When a decline in fish and game causes the community to realize they will need to move in order to survive, an exploration party is formed. Led by Evan Whitesky, this group sets out to seek the lands on the north shore of Lake Huron that their ancestors were displaced from by colonialism.
The exploration party is heading into the unknown, and as a reader, I was intrigued by what they would find. Would they learn more about the causes of the collapse? Would they encounter other survivors? And if they did, would those survivors be hostile or friendly?
Anishinaabe language and culture are an integral part of the story, adding to the interest level. The characters are likeable and easy to root for, and the many unknowns create suspense. Readers who enjoyed Moon of the Crusted Snow should find much to like in this sequel. (Contributed by Lisa Timpf)
News:
More Drunk Fiction info at Emily Weedon’s website: https://emilyweedon.com/drunk-fiction (We continue to sponsor the Drunk Fiction event at the Caledonian Pub in Toronto)
On Sept. 18, at 7;30pm Atlantic time, John Oughton is giving a free Zoom reading of recent poetry, written since his latest book The Universe and All That came out. Those interested should message John for the link. (joughton1[at]gmail.com)
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Thanks for reading this issue of The Seaboard Review of Books!
James M. Fisher, editor-in-chief