In the Land of Birdfishes explores the shifting, untrustworthy nature of narrative itself, while ensuring that ideas never overshadow the characters or plot...In the Land of Birdfishes is poetic and allegorical. Beautiful motifs of birds and fish recur elegantly throughout the novel, and these sustained metaphors succeed without heavy-handedness or clunky distraction.....Slayter’s skillful control of the plot and the richness of her metaphors propelled me toward the novel’s surprising conclusion. However, Mara’s story is the most compelling, and the least depicted..Slayter’s skillful control of the plot and the richness of her metaphors propelled me toward the novel’s surprising conclusion. However, Mara’s story is the most compelling, and the least depicted. It’s Mara’s fate that drives the plot and motivates the actions of several characters, and it’s her story that I most wanted to read, but her chapters are the shortest and her truths most elusive. What happened to her over all those years in Dawson? Where did she end up? Whose version of her story should I trust? While I was ultimately left craving more about Mara’s story, In the Land of Birdfishes’ unexpected twists and resonant imagery make it an engaging and memorable debut.

The intricacy of her plot, the elegance of the prose and, particularly, the plausible leading character Aileen make this first novel a pleasure to read. It also introduces the reader to a distant part of Canada that few of us have explored.

Silver Slayter leaves several mysteries for us to ponder but we aren’t perplexed by the lack of answers, only curious. It’s a subtlety that underlines Silver Slayter’s mastery of language and plot.

Slayter’s storytelling is disorienting, leaving the reader as unsettled as the characters. A stronger hand might have pulled together the book’s ending more tightly, but ultimately In the Land of Birdfishes is an original and surprising debut.