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When I first read Ling Ma’s Severance, I was mesmerized. It follows the story of a woman working the daily grind of a publishing job with no end in sight when an illness breaks out in China, eventually spreading to the US. Little did I know that just a couple of years later, real life would echo that story. Just last year, Ma published Bliss Montage, a collection containing eight short stories. Each piece is surreal, unique, and disturbing, all in the best ways.

In “Office Hours,” a college student is invited by her professor to start taking naps on his couch. As her professor sits and grades at her desk, she luxuriates in this time on his couch. She’s full of mixed feelings, unsure of exactly what her time with her professor means. In “Los Angeles,” a woman lives with her husband and a host of her ex-boyfriends, all on the same property. But as time passes, her ex-boyfriends begin to leave, making her far more depressed than she realizes.

But my favorite story is “Returning,” the story of a woman married to a man from a fictional country. As their marriage slowly falls apart, our protagonist is stuck in her seat while her husband quickly exits the plane with all of her belongings, including her passport. When she finally gets off the plane, she realizes her husband has entered the country without her, leaving her stranded in the airport. In flashbacks, we see the history of their relationship, messy and relatable in all of its complexity.

Ma’s stories each have this surreal, fantastical quality to them. You’ll be reading a story that feels based in realism, and then she introduces something close to magical or otherworldly. And she ends her stories with the kind of ambiguity that makes you long for more.

Mary Craven is not a pleasant girl, but then again, her life hasn’t exactly been very pleasant despite her many privileges. Growing up unloved, unwanted, ignored, and friendless in turn-of-the-century Toronto, she spends most of her days in sullen silence. When her parents are tragically killed in an accident, her life changes forever when she’s sent to live in her uncle’s manor on the Georgian Bay. Everyone says there’s no one there but Indians and wilderness, and Mary believes that at first…but then she meets Flora, the young Métis woman employed by her uncle. Flora shows her kindness for the first time and opens her eyes to the beauty of nature and the breathtaking wonder of the Georgian Bay. And soon, Mary discovers a secret garden on the property and then a sickly cousin she never knew she had stashed in the attic. These discoveries make her feel a fierce love she’s never experienced before…but when her uncle’s new wife returns, everything and everyone that Mary now cares for could be in jeopardy.

I have to admit, The Secret Garden isn’t my most favorite of classics, but I loved this retelling. I loved that Cherie Dimaline, a Métis author, was able to take a classic story that is steeped in colonialism and give it her own twist—one where the Métis characters are portrayed respectfully and honestly, and the colonialism is confronted and talked about. I also really loved the setting of the Georgian Bay at the turn of the century and the descriptions of nature and the ways of living that persist even as white settlers encroach upon the land. There is such love and respect for the setting; it really came alive. Mary’s emotional journey was really lovely to read as well. Like in the original, Mary is quite contrary and bitter, and she echoes some of the more racist thoughts and opinions held by the white people around her. If you’re the type of reader who gets secondhand embarrassment when characters in books say or do awful or embarrassing things, this book is going to make you cringe! But Flora recognizes that Mary’s life has been small and without a lot of love, and while she refuses to take Mary’s abuse, she also gently opens Mary’s eyes, and Mary does the work to examine her own biases. Her friendship with her cousin Olive, who has been similarly lonely and mistreated, also helps as Olive is part Métis, and the girls form a really lovely bond. Mary also has a queer awakening when she meets Flora’s younger sister, which is a relationship that is so sweetly romantic that you can’t help but root for them. The challenges they face feel very real and immediate, but I loved how they came together to fight for their found family and their home.

I inhaled the audiobook in a span of about 24 hours. It was narrated by Brenfy Caribou, and I highly recommend the production if you read via audiobook! But either way, don’t miss this inclusive and thought-provoking classic retelling!