Canada Reads Top 10

This year, CBC’s Canada Reads is taking a retrospective approach, selecting the best book from the last ten years rather than a general call for Canadian fiction. On Tuesday they released the top 10 finalists, based on suggestions from the public, with a top five to be revealed on November 24th. This year, I am venturing to read the top 10 books (regardless of which five actually make the cut) before the debate is aired sometime in February. Here’s the list:

The Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis

The Birth House by Ami McKay

The Bone Cage by Angie Abdou

The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill

Bottle Rocket Hearts by Zoe Whittall

Essex County by Jeff Lemire

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Pattern Recognition by William Gibson

Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden

Unless by Carol Shields
Fortunately for me, I have read or own half of these books. Life of Pi is already in the bag, and I already own The Birth House, The Book of Negroes, Three Day Road and Unless (Incidentally, there is a giveaway contest on CBC right now asking you to predict the top five - guess which five I picked). The remaining five I will have to investigate further, but they all look interesting.

I will begin with Unless, and report on each book as I finish it. By the end, I will be able to determine if the panel got it right, not just about the winner, but about the top 5 as well. For more info, see the Canada Reads main page.

Review: Late Nights on Air

Late Nights on Air follows a group of Yellowknife radio station employees over the course of a year – new arrivals, old hands, fallen stars. Set in the 70s, it takes place against the backdrop of the burgeoning oil boom that raises the possibility of a pipeline that would seemingly cut the north in two. The characters are given equal treatment over the first part of the novel, as Hay fully explores each characters motivations, history, impulses and hopes for the future. By the halfway point, we know the characters, we know why they do what they do and what we can expect them to do next. The climax of the story, as a result, is not so much a plot point but character development.
Hay is a funny, fluid, emotional writer that adds wit and spontaneity to each character and situation. In fact, I found that she was nearly opposite Joseph Boyden in style – reading Late Nights immediately after Through Black Spruce, this was quite a shock at times. However, Hay’s relaxed, detailed style made for a delightful read, providing an opportunity for the reader to engage with the social and political climate of Yellowknife in the 70s without losing contact with the characters directly affected by such possible changes. Hay has a reporter’s voice in this regard, giving the facts of the people and circumstances involved in living in Yellowknife at this time, allowing the reader to draw conclusions and connections about the characters and the events that follow.
I enjoyed this book. It was a great read, quick and funny with a poignant climax and satisfying conclusion. It’s not a political book per se, but the political events shape the characters’ decisions enough that a statement about the political events of the time comes through. I am looking forward to reading her other books, A Student of Weather, Garbo Laughs, and another one, I think. I can’t remember. Four overturned canoes out of five.

Review: Through Black Spruce

Joseph Boyden’s follow-up to critically acclaimed Three Day Road does not disappoint. Told from the point of view of alternating narrators Will Bird and his niece Annie, Boyden’s tale unfolds from end to beginning – we see the present before the past, leaving only the why. The two stories are interwoven seamlessly, each narrator providing a unique voice to the events that transpired. Will’s story is about redemption, as he finds his true self among the trees and traplines of his younger self, coming to terms with past events that set his life down a predictable and tragic path. However, he does so while in a coma, reciting the story in his dreams while his family and friends wait patiently for him to wake up. Annie tells her story to Will during solitary visits to the hospital, coming to terms with her past by reconnecting with her roots – the old traplines, the hunting cabin, the ice road. Her life is just beginning – she has yet to make any decision that cannot be remedied.
Boyden gives the physical environment a prominent role just behind the characters, making its place in the story as important as it would be in actuality to the characters. It is part of the way of life for these characters, living off the land. Annie seems most ill at ease when she’s in New York, spending money and dressing to the nines, but when she’s back in Moosonee, living in the winter cabin, trapping and hunting, she’s comfortable. Will, too: he can be ready to live off the land in a short time, settling his affairs and relying on the things he learned from his father. The title phrase “through black spruce” comes up again and again, a metaphor for many aspects of Aboriginal life, from literally returning from the bush and wilderness to experiencing personal revelation and understanding.
Boyden’s beautiful prose style only adds to the gripping story. It is a great read, and he is a great Canadian writer, taking features of the Canadian landscape such as thick spruce trees and polar bears or the effect of residential schools on the Aboriginal population and telling a poignant and forceful story. Four and a half marten pelts out of five.

March's Pick: Through Black Spruce

The poll is closed and the results are in - Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden has been selected as March's book club pick. The timing is great, as Through Black Spruce is available everywhere due to its popularity due to awards and such (it's also on sale at Chapters). Through Black Spruce follows two characters, Will and Annie, in an examination of disappearing culture: Will reminisces the past in small-town Ontario, while his niece, Annie, tests her resolve in New York, where traditions merge into ubiquitous stereotypes. Most reviewers liked this book, Quill & Quire did not, oddly. Perhaps they were worried about bandwagon-jumping. At any rate, it is our March pick: I'm expecting some heated discussion over the next few weeks.

Giller Prize announced

On Tuesday the Scotiabank Giller prize was awarded to Joseph Boyden's Through Black Spruce. Read the story synopsis here. It's getting rave reviews, and, though there is no way to actually verify this, I predicted that this book would win. Honestly, I did! Anyway, the Giller prize is an annual literary event, complete with large cash prize ($50,000), celebrity-filled gala and television coverage. Everything that Harper hates about the arts. It raises the profile of Canadian writers in general and the shortlist nominees in particular. And Canadian writing elevates the profile of Canada in the world as well as contributing to a continually-changing sense of Canadian "identity". In all, it's a good thing. Read more at the Scotiabank Giller Prize website: http://www.scotiabankgillerprize.ca/

More Book Award Lists

The Giller Prize shortlist was released this week:

Cockroach - Rawi Hage
Through Black Spruce - Joseph Boyden
Barnacle Love - Anthony De Sa
Good to a Fault - Marina Endicott
The Boys In The Trees - Mary Swan

The Giller Prize celebrates English-language Canadian authors and has a $50,000 payday. The jury this year consists of Margaret Atwood, Bob Rae and author Colm Toibin. How Bob Rae finds time to judge a book contest is beyond me. Atwood says that this year's list put a "spotlight" on people "who might never have been there" - doesn't that seem a little like they shouldn't be there? Or is she saying that small publishers and new authors don't get the type of publicity that others do? (Perhaps that is why Miriam Toews wasn't nominated). A site I discovered today, Bookninja, has a different take: "The coverage around the Giller announcement... seems to be revolving around the “newness” of the names on the list. The Post even hints that the judges are more famous than the nominees. The Giller’s been criticized in the past for being an old boys and girls club, so I guess this is some antidote. I’m sure we’ll get around to asking why all the spots went to large presses." Coincidence? I think not. (Okay, now I admit to trying to stir the pot when there's no real controversy. I guess I am a little upset that Toews didn't get nominated. Then again, I haven't read that book, nor any other on the Giller shortlist. They could all very well be the best Canadian novels of this year.) The Giller winner will be named on November 11th.