I’m very pleased to share a new review of Externalities from The Seaboard Review of Books, written by Toronto writer and bookseller Ezra Anderson.
The review takes a thoughtful look at the multigenerational story of the Gallorini family and, in particular, the everyday moments that shape a family over time. Anderson highlights the relationships, ambitions, disappointments and acts of generosity that gradually become part of a family’s shared history.
One observation from the review particularly captures what I hoped to accomplish with the novel:
“Johnston trades urgency for intimacy, trusting that meaning accumulates through scenes of everyday life rather than through plot mechanics.”
The review also explores the novel’s transition into mystery as murder, stolen heirlooms and an inheritance dispute begin to disrupt the lives of characters readers have come to know over the course of the story.
Anderson concludes that Externalities gives weight to the years between life’s major milestones, finding significance in the smaller moments that ultimately shape a family’s history.
I’m grateful to The Seaboard Review of Books and Ezra Anderson for taking the time to read Externalities and for this considered and insightful review.
Read the full review:
Externalities by D. McCall Johnston – The Seaboard Review of Books