The Puritan has published a detailed and thoughtful review/critical essay of What You Need, written by Jeremy Hanson-Finger. I’m grateful to the author as well as to the editors of The Puritan for the light they shine on independent Canadian literature.

From “I Just Wanna Be Around Adults, Really: Masculinity in Andrew Forbes’ What You Need“:

What You Need […] explores the negative effects of this nostalgia for simple male archetypes with a combination of earnestness and satire. […] Forbes’s greatest success is in taking the high tragedy out of traditionally masculine narratives. His best stories elicit a sense of loss—not for unfulfilled archetypes, but for people who could have contributed to society in a more meaningful and responsible way if they had relinquished outmoded definitions of manhood…