Peter Simons watches “prestige TV” in drunk binges and stoned marathons. He mentions as much at least a dozen times over the course of “Bystander,” Montreal-based Mike Steeves’ engrossing and absurdist sophomore novel. Though Simons once saw himself as “someone with moral courage and a selfless nature,” that’s changed. An enjoyably quirky and biting portrait of personal realpolitik, “Bystander” offers a credible complement to “Fight Club” and “American Psycho,” though one minus the chest-beating postures and litres of shed blood. “My Two-Faced Luck,” the fifth novel by Salt Spring Islander Brett Josef Grubisic, is out now.

Source: thestar April 21, 2022 14:08 UTC