Although the anthology has pieces that remain rooted in Vancouver, such as in the short fiction piece “Untitled” and “Really Bad Things,” this volume witnesses young writers who are moved to respond to political events around the world. “Tiananmen,” with its clipped syntax, displays anger, passion, and hope towards the 1989 Massacre, while “El Salvador” displays the violence in plain sight, the poet tasting “…nothing, but the acid of injustice.” While a general tone of frustration emanates from the pieces, works like “Serpent Studies” and “Under a Banana Tree” diffuse these with their humorous undertones.
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