24 works of Canadian fiction to watch for in the first half of 2018
Mark your calendars! These fine works of fiction are coming soon to a bookshelf near you.
The Boat People by Sharon Bala
What it's about: As an emerging writer, Sharon Bala of St. John's was the winner of the 2017 Journey Prize. Her morally complex debut novel The Boat People was inspired by a real incident. It tells the story of a group of refugees who survive a perilous ocean voyage to reach Canada — only to face the threat of deportation and accusations of terrorism.
When you can read it: Jan. 2, 2018
Liminal by Jordan Tannahill
What it's about: What thoughts cross one's mind when faced with not knowing if a loved one is alive or dead? Jordan Tannahill's Liminal functions as a love letter to a mother, and a meditation on love, living and dying.
When you can read it: Jan. 23, 2018
The Rule of Stephens by Timothy Taylor
What it's about: In the aftermath of a plane crash, a survivor must make sense of life crumbling around her in this thriller from Giller Prize-nominated author Timothy Taylor.
When you can read it: Feb. 6, 2018
Things Are Good Now by Djamila Ibrahim
What it's about: This debut collection of short stories looks at the migrant experience from various angles. Set in East Africa, the Middle East, Canada and the U.S., Things Are Good Now examines themes of displacement, hardship and disillusionment.
When you can read it: Feb. 11, 2018
The Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore by Kim Fu
What it's about: In The Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore, Kim Fu offers up this emotional look at a group of young girls who find themselves stranded at a remote camp.
When you can read it: Feb. 13, 2018
Deep River Night by Patrick Lane
What it's about: The 48-hour timeframe of Patrick Lane's novel Deep River Night reveals a cast of conflicted characters in a morally ambiguous community where the undercurrents of violence and complicity are never far from the surface.
When you can read it: Feb. 13, 2018
Sodom Road Exit by Amber Dawn
What it's about: Amber Dawn's sophomore novel, Sodom Road Exit, is a supernatural thriller that revels in themes of sexual orientation, economic disenfranchisement and family dynamics.
When you can read it: March 1, 2018
Marry, Bang, Kill by Andrew Battershill
What it's about: Andrew Battershill's debut novel, Pillow, appeared on the longlist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize in 2016. This second effort, Marry, Bang, Kill is a crime thriller that has a man on the run after robbing the daughter of a high-ranking motorcycle gang member.
When you can read it: March 6, 2018
Hysteria by Elisabeth de Mariaffi
What it's about: Elisabeth de Mariaffi's Hysteria is a psychological thriller about a woman named Heike, her missing son and her increasingly distant husband.
When you can read it: March 6, 2018
Find You in the Dark by Nathan Ripley
What it's about: This novel by Naben Ruthnum, under his pen name of Nathan Ripley, delivers this tale of a family man obsessed with digging up the undiscovered remains of a serial killer's victims, catching the attention of a murderer in the streets of Seattle.
When you can read it: March 6, 2018
The Storm by Arif Anwar
What it's about: The Storm weaves together five interconnected stories and explores love and emotion across 50 years of Bangladeshi history.
When you can read it: March 13, 2018
The Italian Teacher by Tom Rachman
What it's about: Tom Rachman continues to showcase his literary craft with novel The Italian Teacher, about the nature of modern art, contemporary love and lasting legacies.
When you can read it: March 20, 2018
That Time I Loved You by Carrianne Leung
What it's about: Carrianne Leung, author of The Wondrous Woo, returns with this look at cultural division, the challenges of adult life and the irrepressibility of youth though the eyes a young Canadian of Chinese descent living in 1970s Toronto.
When you can read it: March 27, 2018
Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead
What it's about: Joshua Whitehead's debut novel — and follow-up to his 2017 collection of poetry full-metal indigiqueer — is about a Two-Spirit Indigiqueer young man who must reckon with his past when he returns home to his reserve.
When you can read it: April 1, 2018
Tiger, Tiger by Johanna Skibsrud
What it's about: Johanna Skibsrud, the Scotiabank Giller Prize-winning author of The Sentimentalists returns with Tiger, Tiger, a collection of 14 short stories that examine life from a multitude of angles, from the mundane to extraordinary.
When you can read it: April 3, 2018
Little Beast by Julie Demers, translated by Rhonda Mullins
What it's about: Originally published in French, this translated novel is a dark fairy tale set in rural Quebec in 1944. This magical tale is about a little girl with a beard, her befuddled parents and the townspeople who fear her.
When you can read it: April 5, 2018
Mary Cyr by David Adams Richards
What it's about: Acclaimed Canadian novelist, essayist, screenwriter and poet David Adams Richard returns with Mary Cyr. It's about an heiress to a vast fortune and the powerful forces that stand in her way.
When you can read it: April 10, 2018
Vi by Kim Thúy, translated by Sheila Fischman
What it's about: Kim Thúy's debut novel Ru was shortlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize in 2012 and was the Canada Reads winner in 2015. Her latest, Vi, tells the story of a group of Vietnamese refugees as they seek to acclimatize to new lives in Canada and elsewhere.
When you can read it: April 10, 2018
Floating City by Kerri Sakamoto
What it's about: A modern take on Citizen Kane, Commonwealth Prize-winning and Governor General's Literary Award-nominated author Kerri Sakamoto delivers a tale about family, ambition and the costs of turning our backs on history and home.
When you can read it: April 17, 2018
Army of the Brave and Accidental by Alex Boyd
What it's about: Alex Boyd's latest is a modern fable that reworks The Odyssey to tell a story about relationships, parenthood and the impact of social media on society.
When you can read it: April 28, 2018
Motherhood by Sheila Heti
What it's about: With Motherhood, Sheila Heti explores the benefits and drawbacks around whether or not to have children in her latest novel.
When you can read it: May 1, 2018
Adjacentland by Rabindranath Maharaj
What it's about: Novelist and short story writer Rabindranath Maharaj — whose last novel was 2010's The Amazing Absorbing Boy — returns with Adjacentland. The dreamlike tale revolves around a former comic book writer who one day awakens in a strange institution called the Compound with no memory of his past.
When you can read it: May 8, 2018
Warlight by Michael Ondaatje
What it's about: Michael Ondaatje, author of the acclaimed novel The English Patient, is once again writing about the Second World War. Set in London in 1945, the novel tells the tale of two young siblings who have been separated from their parents in the aftermath of the Nazi bombings.
When you can read it: May 8, 2018
An Ocean of Minutes by Thea Lim
What it's about: In order to ensure an expensive life-saving treatment for her boyfriend, Polly agrees to a one-way trip to the future. The plan goes awry for two lovers when Polly ends up travelling to a future where Frank cannot be found.
When you can read it: June 26, 2018