Fiction Son of a Trickster by Eden Robinson (Knopf Canada) The acclaimed author of Monkey Beach returns after a too-long fiction hiatus with the first in a trilogy of trickster novels. Jared Martin is Haisla and Heiltsuk, a struggling Indigenous teen who can only rely on himself. Complicating this gritty coming-of-age tale is a grandmother who questions his humanity (she says he's the son of a trickster), an inconvenient weed and alcohol habit, the tendency to blackout and a very unusual relationship with ravens. Robinson blends magical realism, dark humour and working-class rez life with ferocity and compassion—get ready to spend the next few years in anticipation of a sequel.
Poetry There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyoncé by Morgan Parker (Tin House Books) An outstanding collection of poetry that lives up to its title with fervent pop-culture references (including several great poems about Queen B, natch) that feels both timely and perpetual. Parker is an ambitious poet, and her criticism on feminism, race and politics burn bright in vivid, bone-crushing lines that you will feel all over—this is the kind of punch-you-in-the-gut language that will have you smarting for days.
Essays One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter by Scaachi Koul (Doubleday Canada) Anyone who follows @Scaachi on Twitter knows that not only can she back up her dry wit and sass with fierce intelligence and touching personal narrative, but mama also don't suffer no fools. Her essays are smart, intimate and very funny (as you would expect), tackling subjects like sexism, casual racism, feminism and familial obligation in the same breath as she recounts once getting cut out of a skirt while shopping or details on how many parts of her body she practices hair removal (spoiler: A lot). Move over Lena, Koul is the real voice of our generation.
