Maggie Helwig

This is a strange little gem of a book set in Toronto. A girl in a subway collapses for no apparent reason, saying she smelled something like roses, and shutting down the subway line while the Hazmat team investigates. Then it starts happening all over the city as a post-911 paranoia settles in. Meanwhile, Alex reunites with a girl, Susie-Paul, who broke his heart years ago, and remembers her troubled relationship with his friend Chris. Susie enlists his help to find her homeless schizophrenic brother. Alex is a medical photographer but has diabetes and may be slowly going blind from retinopathy. At night, he photographs all the fascinating secret places in Toronto. Gradually all the disparate parts of the book become connected as Alex finally admits his love for Susie to himself, and we find that the "falling down" girl had a sort of connection to Susie's brother Derek, who was living in a tent in a ravine. The settings and dialogue ring true and Alex is a compelling character. Fascinating, unusual, haunting! Highly recommended.… (mere)