Scotiabank Giller Prize finalists on what makes a killer opening sentence
André Alexis, Samuel Archibald, Rachel Cusk, Heather O’Neill and Anakana Schofield read from their works
What makes a great first line? According to this year's five Scotiabank Giller Prize finalists, that first sentence could be a "doorbell" to the story, a hint of what's to come, a "killer" that grabs the reader, a stylistic choice the reader needs to accept from the get-go, or even a joke you can only understand if you read on.
In this video, the five Scotiabank Giller Prize finalists — André Alexis, Samuel Archibald, Rachel Cusk, Heather O'Neill and Anakana Schofield — read the first line of their nominated book and tell CBC Arts why they chose that sentence as their all-important opener.
The Scotiabank Giller Prize winner will be announced at a gala airing on CBC Television on Tuesday, November 10, 2015 at 9 pm (10 AT / 10:30 NT).
Watch Exhibitionists Sunday at 4:30pm (5pm NT) on CBC Television.