Pride

In Ryan’s sweet but bumpy debut, a modern, queer take on Pride and Prejudice, bookstore owner Ben Bennett meets Centennial Oil heir Avery Fitzgerald when his professor sister drags him to a faculty get-together where she intends to flirt with new hire Charles “Beck” Beckett. Part of the ageless draw of Austen’s work is the plucky spirit and wit of its heroine, but Ben Bennett is a different type: a fierce crusader against injustice in the world who struggles to stand up for himself. The romantic arc has been tweaked as well, as Avery is transparent in his affection for Ben from early on and lacks any of the innate ire and unfriendliness of the original Darcy. Instead, the sticking point keeping the men from a relationship is that Avery is closeted and Ben is convinced that he’s straight (despite many other characters’ observations to the contrary). Oddly, social and climate justice crusader Ben never questions the ethics of Avery’s family business or his involvement in the corporation, which feels like prime material for conflict. Many Austenites will miss the delicious tension between the leads, but those open to a fresh spin on the Lizzy/Darcy dynamic will find this cute enough. (Feb.)