" What You Need is compelling reading." -- The Globe & Mail , "Three fiction debuts worth a read" " What You Need isan excellent book, and arguably the debut of the year insofar as shortfiction is concerned. Every character is fully realized andthree-dimensional; every story sparkles with granular detail and thekind of profound emotional insight that only comes with having lived thedifficult passage between the expectations of youth and the ambiguitiesof adulthood. The book is full of wit, and, despite its subject matter,laugh-out-loud funny in places." -- The Fiddlehead " What You Need is a strong collection that leaves its reader wanting more." -- Quill & Quire "Forbes'sgreatest success is in taking the high tragedy out of traditionallymasculine narratives. His best stories elicit a sense of loss--not forunfulfilled archetypes, but for people who could have contributed tosociety in a more meaningful and responsible way if they hadrelinquished outmoded definitions of manhood, such as the athlete, thesuburban dad, the protector, and the honourable suicide." -- The Puritan "These stories are well worth hearing.

" --The Book Stylist "Tough, tender, visceral lyricism is always balanced with an ironic warmth, humour, and just enough hope in What You Need ." --Richard Taylor, author of House Inside the Waves "At turns funny, inventive, thoughtful and sad, What You Need isan unassuming, surprisingly moving first book of short fiction,striking for the poise and authority of its language and the depth ofits insights." --Pasha Malla, author of The Withdrawal Method.