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Sep 05, 2023 By Frank Valish

Catapult is an independent publisher that seeks to work with a diverse panoply of writers who have been historically underrepresented in literature and to ultimately push the boundaries of the beliefs their readers hold about themselves and the world, something their founder calls their “Perception Box.”

One of Catapult’s new titles is All-Night Pharmacy by Ruth Madievsky. Madievsky is originally from Moldova, and apart from her literary pursuits, she has co-founded something called the Cheburashka Collective, which is a community for women and nonbinary writers who have immigrated to the United States from the Soviet Union. Madievsky has published writing in various periodicals. All-Night Pharmacy is her first novel.

All-Night Pharmacy follows the story of a young woman who is entangled in a life of drugs, partying, and risky pursuits with her older sister, until a violent event changes the course of her life, culminating in her sister’s disappearance. As the tale unfolds, its protagonist finds herself on a whirlwind search, for meaning, for resolution, and ultimately for her long-lost sister and best friend.

In well-paced, lively prose, Madievsky’s novel explores themes of family, mental illness, trauma, and coming to terms with history and the cards we are dealt. By the novel’s end, the reader will find that paradigms have shifted and, while you may not ever be able to go home again, you can make a new life of your own liking, from your own values, and to your own ends.

(books.catapult.co)

Author rating: 7.5/10