Feathered Quill Book Reviews

 #Bookreview of The Canceled Life of Zander Wolbach

By: Alden Windrow

Publisher: Ethereal Leaves Press

Publication Date: May 20, 2025

ISBN: 979-8218593261

Reviewed by: Diana Coyle

Review Date: September 19, 2025

Zander Wolbach, a 25-year-old living in Folksport, thought his life would have been more fulfilled by this age in The Canceled Life of Zander Wolbach by Alden Windrow. Zander struggled with social anxiety and severe depression, along with digestive issues that caused him excruciating pain. Hoping to cure his digestive issues, he went in for surgery, but it only helped his problem slightly. Everything that he had hoped for seemed miles away from him. Even his love of singing and song writing seemed to cause issues for him, but he trudged through the hardships, hoping that one day his big break would come.

Unfortunately, Zander’s phobias, anxieties, and stomach issues continued weighing heavily on him even through his older adult years. He couldn’t find gainful enough employment in his degree of study, so he had to accept menial jobs that he did not really enjoy. No matter what he did to help his mental and physical status, nothing worked. By the time he reached 50 years old, Zander had tried everything he could have. He finally settled on one decision that seemed to work for him. What did Zander ultimately decide?

This turned out to be a heavier read than this reviewer originally anticipated. When readers meet Zander, they will immediately feel empathy for him because nothing seems to be going right for him in his life. He experiences a deep depression and social anxiety that seem to cripple him in all avenues of his life. Not only that, but he also suffers from severe digestive issues as well, and all of this together leads him to seem to hate life. The author Alden Windrow created Zander to be a person that people could not only relate to, but feel sorry for. As a reader, you will believe that you can offer Zander a lifeline and you will find yourself wanting to bring him out of his dark tunnel of daily life.

The emotions written within these pages were pure and raw at times. You will find yourself laughing at something silly that Zander was doing or saying, and in the next scene you will find tears welling in your eyes as you feel for a person who was so lost in life. Some readers may know someone like this in their own lives, or could even be the Zander in their own life. When you turn the pages, you grow more invested into what Zander is thinking and feeling as if you were him.

Quill says: The Canceled Life of Zander Wolbach by Alden Windrow will pull readers in from the first page, taking them on a journey of many emotions until the very last sentence is read. This is a powerful story not to be taken lightly.

For more information about The Canceled Life of Zander Wolbach, please visit the author's website at: aldenwindrow.com