Delighted to include this title in the February edition of Novel Encounters, my column highlighting the month’s most anticipated fiction for the Books section of Zoomer, Canada’s national lifestyle and culture magazine. (see column and mini-review at link)

I've loved Ali Smith's books in the past, especially her Seasons quartet but hard as I tried (and I tried to get into Gliff twice), I just could not get invested in the story or the characters. I suspect not vibing with the narrator didn't help matters but for whatever reason this was a DNF for me. THe furthest I got was 50% but even though it's a short book I just couldn't force myself to finish. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read an early digital copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I'm a fan of dystopian near future novels, so I was intrigued when I read the premise of Gliff. Overall, I enjoyed this poetic, thought-provoking, often fable-like story of two "unverified" siblings who are attempting to navigate a "brave new world" on their own. For me, the level of ambiguity was sometimes higher than I would have liked, and some more detailed definitions and explanations would have helped me fully imagine the world and how it had come to be that way. However, overall I would recommend it, and I'm looking forward to next year's companion novel "Glyph," which will apparently reveal a story hidden in this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher for the opportunity to read a digital version of this book in advance of publication.