The Lesser BohemiansBy Eimear McBrideMcClelland & Stewart320 pp; $32.95Here it is: the perilous second novel. Those who couldn’t get enough of her first book will want more and she risks disappointing them if she doesn’t deliver with The Lesser Bohemians. But for McBride, language is paramount. Conversely, the compression, concision, and reach of McBride’s language account for the utter authenticity of all the diverse conjoining that goes on between the lovers in The Lesser Bohemians. A Girl Is a Half-formed Thing derived its force from its integrity – perfect union of form and content, single vision, drive and focus – while The Lesser Bohemians interrupts itself.

Source: National Post September 29, 2016 19:30 UTC