Kevin St. Jarre

Ashin has lived in the same neighbourhood for a long time and Mateo is a recent resident. Together they follow the change of the area as further newcomers have decided to live in a close community only to fall back into their old ways of distancing themselves from neighbours. The story is dialogue-driven and, while a quick read, the majority of the story focuses more on the interaction between Ashin and Mateo than on the change in the community.


I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.… (meer)

Celestine Tolland is not your average teen. She is the survivor of a failed space mission, aborted when the crew came down with a mysterious virus. Although she left in 1984 and was only gone for a year, 38 years have passed on Earth, due to time dilation. She returns to a world where the Internet, laptops, cell phones, a Black president (but no female ones), and coronavirus have altered the once familiar landscape of American life. Back in her hometown in Maine, Celestine tries to fit into the world again.

It's difficult to label this novel. Others have tried—coming of age, psychological thriller, social commentary—but none of these are exactly right. In my mind it's good literary fiction: defying easy categorization, challenging the reader to look both within and without, and raising thoughtful questions without being in a hurry to answer them. The writing prompted me to get out sticky notes to mark passages, and the pacing was perfect. I finished the last 150 pages in one sitting. Both the characters and the plot were well-developed, unusual and yet relatable.

I like it when an author surprises me. Kevin St Jarre has done that. I look forward to reading his next novel, The Book of Emmaus, a mystery about a lost manuscript in a Prague monastery. I have a feeling I will be surprised again.… (meer)