Long Live Canuckia!
Book Review: Beneath the Birch Trees by Stefanie Barnfather
“I was born in an era where the people in power couldn’t see in the strength of softness, or respect the voices of those who were sensitive enough to believe in it.”
—Stefanie Barnfather, Beneath the Birch Trees
Genre: Science Fiction
Beneath the Birch Trees takes place roughly a hundred years from now in Canuckia (present day Canada), sharing a world, and a couple of side characters, with Barnfather’s debut novel, We Call Her Rose. This story gives us some background into the politics of Canuckia and how it came to be the dystopian government in We Call Her Rose. Even though this story takes place after the Bot Wars and the government is trying to rebuild itself, they seem to have reached a stage where things feel more utopian than anything, at least in the first half of the book.
The town of Chaleur, where Layla, our protagonist, resides, is idyllic and peaceful, and she has the luxury of spending days lounging about in a birch grove that she is strangely attached to. She says things like “holy holly berries,” and “for the love of leaves,” which is a nod to the author’s penchant for quirky dialogue and oddball characters, as seen in her short story collections.
Layla is telepathic. Most citizens wear eyelinks, which is a technology that allows people to read and record each other’s thoughts and feelings and hear their auras. But Layla doesn’t need them. She can read people’s “glints” naturally. This power makes her useful as an assistant to the mayor and her leadership team, which includes the mayor’s son, Oliver, who Layla falls in love with.
When a child goes missing, the whole town pitches in to look for her. This is when Oliver and Layla’s relationship starts to become strained. When Zekiul Cox, an attractive leader from a rebel group, enters the picture, their relationship is strained even further. A murder mystery, shifting alliances, power struggles, and a natural disaster ensue, challenging the loyalties of everyone involved.
This is a fast-paced and exciting read. Barnfather has created a unique world with relatable, if not eccentric, characters that jump right off the page. Another great work by Stefanie Barnfather!
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