Just a Howl

by Will Richter

Genres: Short Stories

200 pages, Paperback

Expected publication April 20, 2027

Reviews

[Miguel Eichelberger]

This is one of the most fascinating and engrossing short story collections I've ever read. In a word, it's human. Richter's prose is stunning, purposeful, exact, and even confronting; his characters, regardless of their choices, defy any sort of judgement on the part of the reader. We can never sit comfortably in our hopes or admonishments of the people he draws and sketches for us, we can only feel them living, and see ourselves in who they are who they aren't.

We read tragedy, comedy, isolation in settings that live, all while connecting deeply with these settings whether they are vibrant or bleak. And while no two stories are alike, their gifts remain similar: walking strange miles in human shoes. Stand-out stories for me are the CBC winner Just a Howl, Oil Boy (absolute delight this one), Counterfactual (a necessary story for our times), Howsa (the former bartender in me saw a lot if his past in this one), Life Coach, and The Language of Forgetting (10/10).

There's a reason some of these stories have been long-listed for, and indeed won, the CBC Fiction Prize. Work like this makes Richter a good bet to become one of the leading voices in Canadian literature.

Can't wait to read more of his work.

[Shannon]

Review of advanced copy received from NetGalley

This is a very strong collection of short stories that I feel has been misrepresented in its marketing. The collection is described as “darkly humorous”, but I struggled to find the humour. That wasn’t a negative for me personally, but for others it could leave them walking away scratching their heads.

I especially loved Oil Boy, Tom Bromley is Running, Just A Howl, Klara in Contact, Life Coach, and The Language of Forgetting. Whilst those were my favourites, there were lines of dialogues and scenes in each story that I found memorable. Richter is incredibly skilled at crafting stories that have a powerful sense of place, and perfect pace, for capturing a reader in just a few pages.

I always say people should read more short stories, and I will definitely be recommending this collection to others!

Thank you to NetGalley, Will Richter, and Dundrun Press/Rare Machines for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

[Marcie Reads]

𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗼𝗿 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿…

I went into this expecting something more like a modern Roald Dahl—droll humor, dark twists, and a little wicked fun. Instead, I found very dark, macabre stories with artful prose and symbolism that often went over my head. Definitely not a bad fit for everyone, but it was very much not a fit for me.

Thank you to Will Richter, Dundurn Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. All opinions are my own.

[tierney]

Just a Howl is an incredibly clever, modern set of short stories that I loved reading! 'The Language of Forgetting' really stood out to me - a world where words are slowly dropping out of existence. Will Richter is a skilled storyteller who manages to get you invested in characters that you meet so briefly. I hope to read more from him soon!

[Lucky]

This was a collection of short stories, each centred around the struggle for connection and understanding faced by different people.

There was a lot of dark humour throughout, and an element of surrealism. I found the snake story particularly strange. The Tom Bromley and Howsa stories both stuck out. An interesting debut.

With thanks to NetGalley and Dundurn Press for the ARC.

[Charlotte]

An off-beat collection of short stories illustrating the wacky, emotional range of the human experience. For fans of Annie Hartnett and Ocean Vuong!

Big thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC :)