Catherine Coles
Coles’ Notes
CanLit doesn’t fit into a neat little box.
It is diverse; it spans all sorts of topics and genres and it can take you anywhere in the world. While at one point the term may have been specific to literary-fiction funded by government grants and set in small-town Canada, it increasingly seems to be applied to the work of any Canadian writer, regardless of a novel’s content, setting or perspective. In my opinion, this is as it should be. Luckily, this season’s exciting CanLit releases are no exception. Here are six new or forthcoming titles that I have my eye on.
Camilla Gibb, Toronto-based author of Sweetness in the Belly and The Beauty of the Humanity Movement is known for her sweeping, character-driven literary fiction that is international in scope. Her latest book, The Relatives, definitely fits her repertoire. The story follows Lila, Tess, and Emily. Lila is on a difficult journey toward solo motherhood. Tess and Emily are going through a separation and fighting over ownership of the embryos that were meant to grow their family. And, unbeknownst to all of them, on the other side of the world, the unknown man who served as an anonymous sperm donor to the three women is being held in captivity in Somalia.
The Speed of Mercy by Nova Scotia writer Christy Ann Conlin is a story about friendship, ageism, gender, trauma, and mental illness. It begins with a crime scene, almost four decades old. Mal, a podcaster, travels to her mother’s rural Nova Scotian hometown in pursuit of a compelling story. It’s not really a conspiracy thriller, though; it’s more exploration of the characters that Mal encounters and the painful secrets they carry.
Nothing is the Same, Everything Haunted by Gary Barwin is an offbeat novel that follows a middle-aged Jewish man who fantasizes about being a cowboy. Set in 1941, after the 1941 Nazi invasion of Lithuania, we follow fast-talking Motl as he goes on an eccentric quest across Europe. It’s obviously quite a challenge to successfully pull off writing a humorous book about the Holocaust, but by all accounts Barwin managed to do just that.
Satellite Love is Genki Ferguson’s unconventional debut novel. Ferguson is the son of Canadian literary darling Will Ferguson. Set in Japan circa 1999, the story follows a lonely girl named Anna who has taken to stargazing. One day, a Low Earth Orbit satellite (aka LEO) returns Anna’s gaze and comes down to earth as Leo, a boy. Initially, Anna and Leo form a bond but, in bittersweet fashion, Leo begins to focus his attention to the impossible task of understanding humanity and comprehending his creator.
Darkness, the forthcoming novel by David Adams Richards, is typical of the acclaimed author: it’s set in Miramichi, New Brunswick and focuses on the dark secrets of unhappy, hardscrabble people. While it is technically the third in a trilogy, it can also work as a standalone. It follows John Delano, who is asked to investigate the violent death of Orville MacDurmot and the accusations of murder that haunted his final days. Delano embarks on a journey that will pull him deep into Miramichi’s shadowy history and the pasts of those who conspired against him.
Finally, The Good Father by Kingston-based Wayne Grady follows a divorced man, Harry, and his estranged daughter, Daphne. Harry is living a quiet life in Toronto with his second wife, while Daphne is an unstable teenager growing up in Vancouver. But when a terrible event takes place, both Harry and Daphne are forced to re-examine their relationship to each other, and discover whether familial bonds are truly ironclad.
While not all of these items have been released yet, they can be reserved in various formats from your branch of the County of Lennox & Addington Libraries or online at CountyLibrary.ca.