cover image Mixed In

Mixed In

Catherine Haustein. City Owl, $14.99 trade paper (280p) ISBN 978-1-944728-12-0

Haustein underwhelms with this tepid romance set in a dystopian future. Dr. Catrina Pandora Van Dingle is newly arrived in the corporate-controlled city state of Cochtonville. A faulty bus on a rainy day brings her in contact with a local bartender named Ulysses. Their attraction is immediate, if poorly defined. Contrivances force their relationship along at a confusing pace, with little to evoke a sense of romance. The supporting characters are a confusion of stereotypes with minimal development. The text is peppered with scientific observations of the natural world and the tone is cold and unengaging. Where passion would be appropriate, there are only reluctant concessions to biology. Daring plans rarely last longer than a few paragraphs, with many incidents resolved through happenstance. Every danger is avoided by loophole or good fortune, so the resolution is lackluster and unsatisfying. (Mar.)