by Jarrett Seto

Criminal Elements

Stories about crime are fascinating. People are repulsed and enthralled by the crime itself, the criminals, and the motives. We always want to know why, what reasoning could possibly justify what they did? Sometimes it’s a cautionary tale, other times the crime is senseless, and sometimes it’s a situational response. Depending on the nature of the crime, some criminals exist as almost a figure of sympathy that appeals to a particular audience. I mean, if I had to choose I’d pick Ned Kelly or abolitionist John Brown (a criminal in the Antebellum South) over Jordan Belfort, but I’m not a finance-bro. In a way, the criminal represents a collective malice that lurks in the subconscious layers of our ape brains. We’ve trailed off from my point. Different criminals elicit different responses, and in every book here aside from My Sister, The Serial Killer, the criminals have nothing to offer but disgust. These books focus on crime and criminals, and each is very different from the others.

My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

This was not an easy book to read. It’s great, and it’s a well written book. But it’s even darker than the title implies. The story centers on a young and brilliant scholarship winning student from her teenage years through to adulthood. Unfortunately you’ll find out that many of those years are stolen from her as she suffers from the repercussions of a predatory relationship that she has with a teacher. The obfuscation of guilt that the predator projects onto Vanessa adds a layer of bitterness throughout the book, and it’s like witnessing an accident in slow motion, bit by bit. You keep hoping someone’s going to hit the brakes but it doesn’t happen.

My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

And on to a lighter read. The humour in Oyinkan Braithwaite’s sardonic novel is on the darker side of course, but tongue in cheek and even with serial murders it’s a happier experience than My Dark Vanessa (Again, a well written and objectively good book {Technically, my opinions subjective, since all opinions are, but I think that I’ve read enough books to know what constitutes as a “good” book}, but a tough one). Korede and Ayoolah are sisters that have what one may call a semi-dysfunctional relationship. At least they understand one another. You may find yourself smirking at inappropriate times while reading this multilayered novel. It’s filled with witty writing and unique character development.

Missing From The Village: The Story Of Serial Killer Bruce McArthur, The Search For Justice, And The System That Failed Toronto by Justin Ling

In Missing From The Village, you will find failure in both the police force, and to a lesser extent, a city. The Toronto police forces’ homophobia and institutional racism contributed to more people being murdered and Ling’s book reveals a slew of investigative errors. It seems like the police didn’t want to accept that there was a serial killer on the loose until it was far too late. Incredulously, the killer had been questioned by police three separate times, two of which being in direct relation to the disappearances. Bruce McArthur was no criminal mastermind; he was simply a monster disguised as a human being. It’s a shame that it took the police many more years than it should have to apprehend him. Hopefully this book will open up dialogue and help ensure that (maybe) the next serial killer will be apprehended quicker.

by Jarrett Seto

Isolation

From snow covered St. Johns to the streets of Jaipur, and from the 1950s up to the present, the feeling of being alone while surrounded by people hasn’t changed much, if at all. Each of these novels deal with alienation, solitude, and combating the insecurities that arise with those strains of loneliness.

Small Game Hunting at the Local Coward Gun Club by Megan Gail Coles

Megan Gail Coles debut novel will grab your attention right off the bat. Just like the blizzard that occurs in the beginning of her novel, the whirlwind of emotional abuse and toxic masculinity circles around her characters, who themselves have their own demons to contend with. The cold Newfoundland winter and the omnipotent and grey Atlantic paint a nuanced backdrop for the characters who feel alone, against themselves and those around them, living in the East Coast.

The Youth of God by Hassan Ghedi Santur.

One could say that this novel explores a Canadian seasoning that previous generations of immigrants didn’t often encounter. The Youth of God details the struggle that many Somali Canadians face, and the feeling of living two lives simultaneously. The culture that they carry with them and life in Toronto, a massive city populated with many immigrants from varying backgrounds, merge together in a blend of experiences. The duality of being an immigrant, along with the social isolation that can be carried with it, and the desire to belong, weave a heartfelt tale.

The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi

Once seventeen year old Lakshmi escapes from her abusive marriage, she decides to relocate to Jaipur. It’s the 1950’s and she slowly works her way into wealthy circles, thanks to her skills as a henna artist. Everyone is telling Lakshmi their darkest secrets, and she’s unable to reveal any of hers. After all, can she really trust these upper class women who she works for? Her new life is turned on its head one day when people from her past arrive, along with some entirely unexpected news.

Identity

By Jarrett Seto

Who we are and who we present ourselves as varies depending on the situation. When I play my intensive and micromanaged military strategy board games, I’m a tactical genius. When I ride the Skytrain, I’m a passenger. When I walk our Alaskan Klee Kai Milo, I’m a servant. And because I was born on a random patch of land, I’m a Canadian. There are things I can’t change about myself. My ethnicity for one. We live in a world (maybe not the worst timeline, but nowhere near the best) where your ethnicity still dictates how you’re treated. The carcinogenic spectre of systemic racism is embedded in numerous aspects of our society. Like the invasive perennial vine kudzu, Pueraria montana, that wraps itself on flowers and trees, strangling out their life with an unconscious maliciousness all too present in the natural world, racism creeps into facets of everyday life. At least in the case of kudzu, there’s a semi-morbid appreciation for its biological efficiency, like the Zerg, the Borg, or the Cybermen. Racism doesn’t possess one iota of that. The following titles explore this in painful, cathartic, comedic, and very real ways.

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

It may seem a trite statement, but all families have history, and some families have more complex histories than others. In The Vanishing Half, follow the Vignes sisters on a multigenerational journey that they and their relations take and how it affects both themselves and their descendants. From the South all the way to California, this interweaving tale of race, motherhood, expectations, and self-discovery will leave you with hope and also with awe for Bennett’s prose and character development. If you’re searching for a book to read on a patio this summer, make it this one. Look up at the clouds too – their poetic and seamless nature is how you could visualize Bennett’s writing.

Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid

A debut novel about race and privilege reads like a seasoned writer’s tale. It’s hard to fathom that this is Kiley Reid’s first published novel. After a mistaken case of kidnapping is reported, Emira, a young black woman, is subjected to a humiliating experience. Alix, her white employer, tries to make up for it, with unintended results. Filled with razor sharp social commentary and coupled with generous scoops of heart and soul, this fast paced book is entertaining, captivating, and shows uncomfortable truths before you even know that it’s there.

The Skin We’re In: A Year Of Black Resistance And Power by Desmond Cole

Have you ever been stopped by the police while bringing groceries to your car? How about while jogging? Or walking down the street? And, if they have stopped you for seemingly no reason whatsoever, did they claim that you matched the description of a person of interest in the area? This is unfortunately, and more so, infuriatingly, a common occurrence for many people of colour. The Skin We’re In documents systemic racism through former Toronto Star’s columnist Desmond Cole’s journey from board meetings to police brutality to political activism to police in schools. It’s a call to anti-racism, so read it if you can.

by Erica Huntley

Natural Causes: an epidemic of wellness, the certainty of dying, and killing ourselves to live longer by Barbara Ehrenreich, 2018

Author of the award-winning book, Nickel and Dimed: On (not) getting by in America, self-described myth-buster, Ehrenreich is back to bust up myths of the medical establishment and the wellness industry. Natural Causes dishes out unsurprising criticism of diet culture, and takes a shocking critical view of preventive medical screenings. An interesting perspective, from an author with a PhD in cellular immunology, Natural Causes challenges deeply held notions about our power to control life’s only certainty.

Dopesick: dealers, doctors and the drug company that addicted America by Beth Macy, 2018

The onset of the global pandemic had a tragic impact on the lives of people already struggling with addiction. In BC, we lost more people to this public health crisis than to Coronavirus. Dopesick examines the epicenter of the opioid crisis in the United States, providing a valuable history of it that is inextricable from Canada’s. This tragic, but humane account provides a thoughtful background with far-reaching pertinence for those of us working with or adjacent to addiction recovery work.

Coronavirus: leadership and recovery by Harvard Business Review, 2020

Always providing fresh insight into the most current business issues, HBR tackles the essential skills and management policies businesses need to embrace to get through the global pandemic and beyond. As always, this addition to the HBR series is brief and to-the-point, packed with everything you need to know in one handy, and highly readable guide. What more could a business-minded individual ask for?