60 works of Canadian fiction coming out in fall 2020
Here are the works of Canadian fiction coming out this season we can't wait to read.
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Mexican Gothic is a gothic horror novel set in 1950s Mexico. It tells the story of a young woman named Noemi who is called by her cousin to save her from doom in her countryside home, the mysterious and alluring High Place. Noemi doesn't know much about the house, the region or her cousin's mysterious new husband, but she's determined to solve this mystery and save her cousin — whatever it takes.
Mexican Gothic is in development to become a TV series for Hulu.
When you can read it: June 30, 2020
Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a Canadian author, who was born and raised in Mexico. She is also the author of the novels Signal to Noise, which won the 2016 Copper Cylinder Award, Gods of Jade and Shadow and The Beautiful Ones. She is also a critic and has edited science fiction anthologies.
The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue
The Pull of the Stars, set in a war and disease-ravaged Ireland during the 1918 Spanish flu outbreak, tells the story of three women — a nurse, a doctor and a volunteer helper — working on the front lines of the pandemic in an understaffed maternity ward of a hospital, where expectant mothers infected with the virus are quarantined. The timely tale explores how these women change each other's lives in unexpected ways, while witnessing loss and delivering new life.
When you can read it: July 21, 2020
Emma Donoghue is an Irish Canadian writer. Her books include the novels Landing, Room, Frog Music, The Wonder and the children's book The Lotterys Plus One.
The End of Her by Shari Lapena
The End of Her, a novel set in upstate New York, follows Stephanie and Patrick, a couple adjusting to life with their colicky twin babies. While Stephanie stays at home to take care of them, Patrick works 9-to-5 to pay the bills. Their life is turned upside down when a woman from Patrick's past pays an unexpected visit, raising questions and suspicions about his late first wife, who died in a supposed car accident many years ago. With the woman threatening to go to the police, Patrick's livelihood is put at risk. As the police start digging, Stephanie's trust in her husband begins to unravel, as does their marriage.
When you can read it: July 21, 2020
Shari Lapena is a novelist from Toronto. She is author of bestselling thrillers, including The Couple Next Door, A Stranger in the House, An Unwanted Guest and Someone We Know.
Ties That Tether by Jane Igharo
Ties That Tether is about a young woman who must decide between a promise she made her dying father and following her heart. Azere was 12 years old when she told her father she would marry a Nigerian man and honour her family's culture, even after moving to Canada. But then Azere has a one-night stand with a white man that she meets in a bar and things surprisingly get serious. Can Azere make it work without betraying her family, or herself?
When you can read it: July 31, 2020
Jane Igharo came to Canada from Nigeria when she was 12 years old. She currently lives in Toronto. Ties That Tether is her first book.
Dirty Birds by Morgan Murray
Dirty Birds is a humorous coming-of-age novel set against the backdrop of the 2008 global recession. A young man named Milton Ontario (yes, it's also a place) leaves his small hometown in Saskatchewan to pursue fame and fortune in Montreal and to find his idol, the iconic singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen.
When you can read it: July 31, 2020
Morgan Murray is a writer from Alberta who now lives in Nova Scotia. Dirty Birds is his first novel.
All I Ask by Eva Crocker
One morning, Stacey wakes up to the police pounding on her door in All I Ask. They claim they are looking for "illegal digital material" and seize her phone and computer. Worried for her safety, Stacey bands together with her friends to seek a way to an authentic, unencumbered way of life.
When you can read it: Aug. 4, 2020
Eva Crocker is a novelist and short story writer from Newfoundland. Her first book was the short story collection Barrelling Forward.
The Certainties by Aislinn Hunter
A group of starving travelers walk into a village in Spain in 1940 in The Certainties. They have the appearance of Parisian intellectuals, but are fatigued by their illegal crossing into the Pyrenees. Over the next 48 hours, one of the men narrates the tense beginning and end to their harrowing fate, all the while striking up a friendship with a child named Pia. Forty years later, a woman named Pia reflects on her tumultuous childhood in Spain, as migrants struggle on a boat offshore.
When you can read it: Aug. 4, 2020
Aislinn Hunter is a Vancouver-based writer and academic. Her 2002 novel Stay was adapted for film by Wiebke Von Carolsfeld in 2013. The World Before Us, set in a British museum, was awarded the 2015 Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize.
The Braver Thing by Clifford Jackman
Set in 1721, The Braver Thing follows Jimmy Kavanagh as he begins to band together "Company of Gentleman of Fortune." At first they are successful — finding gold at the Cape Coast Castle. But, as the winnings continue, they become hunted and drastic power struggles begin to manifest amongst the men.
When you can read it: Aug. 11, 2020
Clifford Jackman is a writer and former lawyer. His first novel, The Winter Family, was a finalist for Governor General's Literary Award for fiction in and was longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize.
Cascade by Craig Davidson
Cascade is a collection of short stories from award-winning writer Craig Davidson. The six stories are set in Davidson's hometown of Niagara Falls, known as Cataract City, and explore what it's like to try to make a life in a town that is struggling economically, where its residents feel left behind and where the glorious, touristy waterfalls distract from deep social, economic and political problems.
When you can read it: Aug. 18, 2020
Davidson has published several books of literary fiction including Cataract City, which was shortlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize in 2013, Rust and Bone, which was made into an Oscar-nominated feature film of the same name, The Fighter, Sarah Court and The Saturday Night Ghost Club. His memoir Precious Cargo was defended by Greg Johnson on Canada Reads 2018.
Rabbit Foot Bill by Helen Humphreys
Rabbit Foot Bill is a novel that tells the story of a Saskatchewan murder that happened 73 years ago, through the eyes of a young boy who witnessed it. In 1947, 30-year-old William Hislop was trimming a hedge in the town of Canwood, Sask., when 74-year-old William Young — also known as Rabbit Foot Bill — walked by. The two got into an altercation and Young stabbed Hislop with a pair of shears. Hugh LeFave, a young boy at the time, witnessed the murder. It is LeFave's life story told in Rabbit Foot Bill.
When you can read it: Aug. 18, 2020
Helen Humphreys is a novelist and poet from Kingston, Ont. Her novels include The Evening Chorus, which was nominated for a Governor General's Literary Award, The Lost Garden, which was defended on Canada Reads in 2003 by Mag Ruffman, Afterimage, Leaving Earth and Machine Without Horses. She is also the author of the memoir Nocturne and the the book of essays The Ghost Orchard. She is a past recipient of the Harbourfront Festival Prize for literary excellence.
A Russian Sister by Caroline Adderson
A Russian Sister is about a pair of siblings living in 19th century Russia, a story inspired by Anton Chekhov's 1895 play The Seagull. Masha is an aspiring painter and teacher, while Antosha is a successful writer. They are very close, until Masha invites her fellow teacher Lika to live with them, and Antosha begins a relationship with her. Things unravel as they navigate these new roles, the dynamics between men and women, brother and sister, and lovers, shift and are challenged and Masha falls in love herself.
When you can read it: Aug. 18, 2020
Caroline Adderson is a novelist and children's book writer from Edmonton. Her books include The Sky is Falling, Ellen in Pieces, Norman, Speak! and the 1993 Governor General's Literary Award finalist Bad Imaginings. She received the Marian Engel Award for mid-career achievement in 2006, and is a three-time winner of the CBC Literary Prizes.
The Company We Keep by Frances Itani
The Company We Keep is a novel about an unexpected group of six confidantes, who come together through a conversation group advertised at a local grocery store: Hazzley and Gwen, both recent widows; Tom, a widower; Chiyo a fitness instructor who is caring for her dying mother; Addie, who has a close friend on the verge of death; and Allam, a Syrian refugee. As the six share their stories and get to know each other, The Company We Keep explores the stories we tell ourselves and others, and what and how we share these stories says about who we are and what we want and need.
When you can read it: Aug. 18, 2020
Frances Itani is a fiction writer, poet and essayist currently living in Ottawa. She is a Member of the Order of Canada and has won the CBC Short Story Prize twice. She has written more than a dozen books, including Tell, Deafening and That's My Baby. Tell was shortlisted for the 2014 Scotiabank Giller Prize and Deafening was a contender for Canada Reads 2006, when it was defended by Maureen McTeer.
A Family Affair by Nadine Bismuth, translated by Russell Smith
A Family Affair is a novel that follows a 40-year-old kitchen designer named Magalie, who maintains a mutually deceptive romance with her partner Mathieu. Unexpected circumstances lead her to Guillaume, a policeman and single father. It was translated into English by Russell Smith. The French edition, Un lien familial, won Radio-Canada's Combat national des livres in 2020.
When you can read it: Aug. 25, 2020
Nadine Bismuth is a writer from Montreal. She has published novels and short story collections. Her 2004 novel Scrapbook was translated into English in 2009. Her 2009 short story collection Êtes-vous mariée à un psychopathe was shortlisted for the Govenor General's Literary Award for French-language fiction and was translated into English in 2010.
Russell Smith is a writer, journalist and translator. His books include the novels Confidence and Girl Crazy and the memoir Blindsided. A Family Affair is his first book-length translation.
Songs for the End of the World by Saleema Nawaz
Songs for the End of the World is a novel about living through a global pandemic, written before the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. A cast of characters, including a first responder named Elliot, a pregnant singer named Emma and a bestselling writer named Owen, who wrote a book eerily similar to what was unfolding before them, try to navigate the changing world and define how to live and move forward among so much death and uncertainty.
When you can read it: Aug. 25, 2020
Saleema Nawaz is a fiction writer currently living in Montreal. She is also the author of the novel Bone and Bread, which was defended on Canada Reads 2016 by Farah Mohammed.
Indians on Vacation by Thomas King
Indians on Vacation is about a couple named Bird and Mimi, who decide to travel through Europe after discovering postcards from Mimi's long-lost Uncle Leroy, who sent them while on his own European adventure almost 100 years ago.
When you can read it: Aug. 25, 2020
Thomas King is a Canadian-American writer of Cherokee and Greek ancestry. His books include Truth & Bright Water, The Inconvenient Indian, Green Grass, Running Water and The Back of the Turtle. He also writes the DreadfulWater mystery series.
Forest Green by Kate Pullinger
Forest Green is the story about a homeless man and how he got there. As a boy, Arthur Lunn roamed the hills and lakes of the Okanagan Valley. His life is idyllic, but soon he finds himself in the middle of of a dispute between the town and the vagrants flowing in. Immediately after, Arthur finds himself on the frontline of the Second World War — another catastrophe that will shape Arthur's life.
When you can read it: Aug. 25, 2020
Kate Pullinger is a writer and academic based in London. She has written numerous books of nonfiction and fiction, including The Mistress of Nothing — which won the 2009 Governor General's Literary Award.
Fontainebleau by Madeline Sonik
Fontainebleau is a linked short story collection by Madeline Sonik. Each story is set in the city of Fontainebleau, which is beside the Detroit River. There's something in the water in this river, and it results in a set of unsettling, surreal stories that combine comedy and tragedy.
When you can read it: Aug, 30, 2020
Sonik is a writer and teacher from Victoria. Her essay collection Afflictions & Departures was a finalist for the Taylor Prize. Her other books include the poetry collection Stone Sightings, the novel Arms and the short story collection Drying the Bones.
We Two Alone by Jack Wang
Set over a century and spanning five continents, We Two Alone traces the evolution of the Chinese immigrant experience. Tracing various people, families and professionals across the globe, Jack Wang creates a tapestry of experience that encompasses the trials and tribulations of a diaspora trying to find its place in the world.
When you can read it: Sept. 1, 2020
Wang's short stories have been published in Joyland Magazine, The Humber Literary Review and The New Quarterly. We Two Alone is his first book.
Petra by Shaena Lambert
Petra is a novel inspired by the life of German activist Petra Kelly. Kelly was a force in Germany in the 1980s, and was a founding member of the German Green Party, which was one of the first Green Parties to rise to prominence. It was through her work that she met her partner, a NATO general named Emil Gerhardt. It was Gerhardt who eventually murdered Kelly in 1992. Petra is the story of Kelly's rise to prominence, her influence on global politics and policy and how her relationhsip with Gerhardt helped her international influence but was ultimately what ended everything.
When you can read it: Sept. 1, 2020
Shaena Lambert is a novelist currently living in Vancouver. Her novel Radiance was a finalist for the Writers' Trust Fiction Prize. She is also the author of the short story collection Oh My Darling.
Noopiming by Leanne Betasamosake Simpson
Noopiming combines prose and poetic forms to create an original narrative form, and to reclaim and reframe Anishinaabe storytelling. It's a story told by Mashkawaji, who is frozen in a lake, and who, in turn, tells the story of seven connected characters, who are each searching for a connection to the land and the world. Noopiming is Anishinaabemowin for "in the bush," and the title is a response to Susanna Moodie's 1852 memoir about settling in Canada, Roughing It in the Bush.
When you can read it: Sept. 1, 2020
Leanne Betasamosake Simpson is a Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg scholar, activist, musician, artist, author and member of Alderville First Nation. Her other books include Islands of Decolonial Love, This Accident of Being Lost, Dancing on Our Turtle's Back and As We Have Always Done. Simpson was chosen by Thomas King for the 2014 RBC Taylor Emerging Writer Award.
The Finder by Will Ferguson
The Finder is an adventure novel about finding things that are lost in the world. The story takes readers to Japan, Australia and New Zealand as Interpol agent Gaddy Rhodes, photographer Tamsin Greene and travel writer Thomas Rafferty unexpectedly cross paths as they track "The Finder" — a mysterious figure who believes they can find history's lost objects, such as the missing Romanov Fabergé eggs and Muhammad Ali's Olympic gold medal
When you can read it: Sept. 1, 2020
Will Ferguson has written humour, travel books and fiction. He won the 2012 Scotiabank Giller Prize for his thriller 419. He has won the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour three times: for his novel Generica (now titled Happiness), his Canadian travel book Beauty Tips from Moose Jaw and his travel memoir Beyond Belfast. He currently lives in Calgary.
Crosshairs by Catherine Hernandez
Crosshairs is a dystopian novel about a near-future where a queer Black performer named Kay and his allies join forces against an oppressive Canadian regime that is rounding up those deemed "Other" in concentration camps. A near-future Toronto is ravaged by climate change. It is a situation that has led to massive floods, rampant homelessness, unemployment and starvation. In this chaos, a government-sanctioned regime called the Boots seizes the opportunity to force communities of colour, the disabled and the LGBTQ2S into labour camps called workhouses in the city.
When you can read it: Sept. 1, 2020
Catherine Hernandez is a former theatre professional and daycare provider from Scarborough, Ont. She is also the author of the novel Scarborough, which is being adapted into a feature film. CBC Books named Hernandez a writer to watch in 2017.
The Residence by Andrew Pyper
In the thriller The Residence, the White House is haunted by the dead son of the president. It's 1853 and president-elect Franklin Pierce's son Bennie dies tragically in a train accident. Pierce and his wife Jane grieve as they transition into their roles as president and first lady. But the ghost of their son won't let them rest. When Jane tries to end the haunting with a seance, it instead opens a barrier between this world and the world of the dead, and now all of America is at risk.
When you can read it: Sept. 1, 2020
Andrew Pyper is known for his spine-tingling novels like Lost Girls, which won the Arthur Ellis Award for best first novel in 2000, The Demonologist, The Only Child and The Homecoming. He currently lives in Toronto.
All the Devils Are Here by Louise Penny
All the Devils Are Here is the latest Inspector Armand Gamache novel from bestselling mystery writer Louise Penny. Gamache is in Paris, enjoying a family trip, when his elderly godfather is attacked on the street — and Gamache is convinced it's not a random attack. It turns out that his godfather knows many secrets and Gamache must figure out the web of deceit and lies before it's too late.
When you can read it: Sept. 1, 2020
13 years ago, Penny was a CBC broadcaster and journalist. Now, she's an award-winning author who has sold more than four million books and has won armloads of prizes, thanks to her Inspector Armand Gamache mysteries. Her mysteries include Still Life, Bury Your Dead, A Trick of the Light and Glass Houses. In 2013, Penny was named to the Order of Canada.
Blaze Island by Catherine Bush
In Blaze Island, a major hurricane is about to hit Blaze Island, a tiny island in the North Atlantic. As the threat looms, Miranda, who grew up in an isolated cove on the island, must reckon with her past as this hurricane threatens to change her life as she knows it.
When you can read it: Sept. 1, 2020
Catherine Bush is a novelist from Toronto. Her books include the novels Claire's Head and The Rules of Engagement. Bush is the coordinator of the University of Guelph's Creative Writing MFA program.
Daughter of Here by Ioana Georgescu, translated by Katia Grubisic
Daughter of Here is an experimental novel that explores personal relationships alongside political turmoil of the past and present. Daughter of Here is the story of a woman named Dolores who is contemplating her relationship with her daughter at the onset of the Arab Spring, while thinking about her childhood, being raised behind the Iron Curtain.
When you can read it: Sept. 4, 2020
Ioana Georgescu is a writer and artist from Montreal. She has written three novels. Daughter of Here is her first book to be translated into English.
Katia Grubisic is a writer, editor and translator. Her translation of Brothers by David Clerson was a finalist for the 2017 Governor General's Literary Award for French-to-English translation.
Seven by Farzana Doctor
In Seven, Sharifa accompanies her husband on a marriage-saving trip to India, and in order to research her great-great-grandfather — a business-owner and philanthropist. She is fascinated by his four wives, who are never mentioned in her family. At the same time, she tries to reach a middle ground in an ideologically-divided community.
When you can read it: Sept, 5, 2020
Farzana Doctor is a Canadian novelist and social worker. Her novels include All Inclusive and Six Metres of Pavement.
The Good German by Dennis Bock
The Good German is a reimagined history in which, in 1939, Georg Elser succeeded in assassinating Hitler. But what unfolds is an alternate history where fascism reigns in Europe, and an atomic bomb is dropped on London, and Elser must reckon with the knowledge that his act of heroism changed the course of history — and for what end?
When you can read it: Sept. 8, 2020
Dennis Bock is a writer, editor and teacher from Toronto. His novel Going Home Again was a finalist for the 2013 Scotiabank Giller Prize. His other works include the novels The Ash Garden and The Communist's Daughter and the short story collection Olympia.
Tatouine by Jean-Christophe Réhel, translated by Katherine Hastings and Peter McCambridge
Tatouine is about what life would be like on another planet, one of your own making. In his humorous novel, the unnamed narrator dreams of a life on Tatouine, instead of his mundane one in Montreal. Instead of writing poems and working at a grocery store, he would be making sand angels and playing video games.
When you can read it: Sept. 15, 2020
Jean-Christophe Réhel is a poet and novelist from Quebec.
Katherine Hastings is a translator and copy editor from Quebec. She also translated the novels The Electric Baths and The Unknown Huntsman, both by by Jean-Michel Fortier.
Peter McCambridge is an editor and translator from Quebec. His translation of Songs for the Cold of Heart by Eric Dupont was a finalist for the 2018 Scotiabank Giller Prize.
One Madder Woman by Dede Crane
One Madder Woman is a novel that imagines the life of artist Berthe Morisot, the only female member of the Impressionists. One Madder Woman explores her relationship and rivalry with her sister, her affair with Manet and what it was like to be an artist in Paris during the mid-19th century.
When you can read it: Sept. 15, 2020
Dede Crane is a writer from Gabriola Island, B.C. Her other books include the novels Poster Boy and Sympathy. She also co-edited the anthology Great Expectations alongside Lisa Moore.
Swallowed by Réjean Ducharme, translated by Madeleine Stratford
Swallowed is a new translation of the seminal 1966 French work L'Avalée des avalés by Réjean Ducharme. The French edition of the book, which was published when Ducharme was 24 years old, won the 1966 Governor General's Literary Award for French-language poetry or drama, and kickstarted the career of one of Quebec's most iconic writers. An English translation hasn't been available since 1968, and it was never available in Canada.
Translated by Madeleine Stratford, Swallowed is about a precocious nine-year-old girl who dreams of escaping her dysfunctional parents and small island life. She begins to act out, becoming more and more wild as her parents, and later her religious relatives, try to contain her.
The French version of the novel was defended by Sophie Cadieux on Combat des livres in 2005.
When you can read it: Sept. 15, 2020
Ducharme was a novelist and playwright from Montreal. He is a three-time winner of a Governor General's Literary Award, twice for French-language fiction and once for French-language drama. Other books by him that have been translated into English include Miss Take and The Daughter of Christopher Columbus. He died in 2017.
Stratford is a poet, professor and translator, who has translated works in English, French, German and Spanish. She also translated The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline into French.
Butter Honey Pig Bread by Francesca Ekwuyasi
Butter Honey Pig Bread is a novel about twin sisters, Kehinde and Taiye, and their mother, Kambirinachi. Kambirinachi believes she was a spirit who was supposed to die as a small child. By staying alive, she is cursing her family — a fear that appears to come true when Kehinde experiences something that tears the family apart, and divides the twins for years. But when the three women connect years later, they must confront their past and find forgiveness.
When you can read it: Sept. 15, 2020
Francesca Ekwuyasi is a writer, filmmaker and visual artist. Her writing has appeared in the Malahat Review, Guts and Brittle Paper, and she was longlisted for the 2019 Journey Prize. Butter Honey Pig Bread is her first book.
Two for the Tablelands by Kevin Major
Newfoundland tour guide Sebastian Synard returns in the mystery novel Two for the Tablelands. This time, he discovers a body of a murder victim while on vacation with his son in Gros Morne National Park, and gets involved in figuring out what happened.
When you can read it: Sept. 21, 2020
Kevin Major is a writer from Newfoundland. He made a name for himself in 1978 with the YA novel Hold Fast, which was adapted into a feature film. He is also the author of the novel Found Far and Wide.
Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots
Hench is the story of a woman who pays the bills by doing administrative work for bad guys. But when an incident leaves her injured and gets her fired, she ends up realizing what happened to her isn't unique — and she might have the means to take down the so-called hero who hurt her. How? With every office workers's secret weapon: data.
When you can read it: Sept. 22, 2020
Natalie Zina Walschots is a writer and journalist from Toronto. She is also the author of the poetry collections DOOM: Love Poems for Supervillains and Thumbscrews.
Fauna by Christiane Vadnais, translated by Pablo Strauss
Fauna is a linked collection of speculative fiction stories about a biologist named Laura who is trying to understand the changing world around her, and her changing body, while facing a climate apocalypse and possibly the end of the human race.
The French version of Fauna won the City of Quebec book award and was named one of 2018's best books by Radio-Canada.
When you can read it: Sept. 22, 2020
Christiane Vadnais is a writer from Quebec City. Radio-Canada named her a writer to watch in 2020. Fauna is her first work of fiction.
Pablo Strauss is an editor and translator from Quebec. He was nominated for the Governor General's Literary Award for French-to-English translations for his work on Synapses by Simon Brousseau and The Longest Year by Daniel Grenier.
Love after the End edited by Joshua Whitehead
Love after the End is an anthology of speculative fiction that imagines a utopian future for LGBTQ and Two-Spirit people, curated and edited by poet and novelist Joshua Whitehead.
Contributors include Nathan Adler, Darcie Little Badger, Gabriel Castilloux Calderon, Adam Garnet Jones, Mari Kurisato, Kai Minosh Pyle, David Alexander Robertson, jaye simpson and Nazbah Tom.
When you can read it: Sept. 22, 2020
Whitehead is an Oji-Cree, Two-Spirit writer, poet and Indigiqueer scholar from Peguis First Nation. His book, full-metal indigiqueer, is a collection of experimental poems that aim to provoke discussion and debate. Jonny Appleseed, his debut novel, is about a Two-Spirit person trying to put his life back together following the death of his stepfather.
The Beguiling by Zsuzsi Gartner
In The Beguiling, a young woman named Lucy had dreamed of being a saint as a child. This dream may actually come true after the death of her cousin Zoltan, and Lucy becomes someone people come to in order to confess their sins. But when the confessions seem connected, Zoltan's death doesn't seem so random anymore. Lucy must then confront her own lapses as a Catholic and a human being, and figure out what is happening, before it's too late.
When you can read it: Sept. 22, 2020
Zsuzsi Gartner is a writer and journalist who currently lives in Vancouver. Her short story collection Better Living Through Plastic Explosives was a finalist for the 2011 Scotiabank Giller Prize. She was a panellist on Canada Reads 2004, when she defended Barney's Version by Mordecai Richler.
Land-Water-Sky / Ndè–Tı–Yat'a by Katłıà
Land-Water-Sky / Ndè–Tı–Yat'a imagines what it would be like if Indigenous legends were part of contemporary life, making mischief and reminding us of the importance and power of Indigenous history, culture and sharing stories.
When you can read it: Sept. 24, 2020
Katłįà is a Dene writer and activist from the Northwest Territories. Land-Water-Sky / Ndè–Tı–Yat'a is her first novel.
Like a Bird by Fariha Róisín
Like a Bird is the story of Taylia, a young woman who had a privileged upbringing in Upper Manhattan until a sexual assault estranged her from her family. As she builds a life for herself, the ghost of her grandmother helps her out, while another ghost haunts her. Along the way, Taylia learns how to heal, discovers the power of love and figures out how to live life on her own terms.
When you can read it: Sept. 25, 2020
Fariha Róisín is an Australian-Canadian writer, visual artist, actor and podcaster currently living in New York. Her other books include the poetry collection How to Cure A Ghost, and the journal Being in Your Body. Like a Bird is her first work of fiction.
Primary Obsessions by Charles Demers
Primary Obsessions is the first book in a new mystery series revolving around psychiatrist Dr. Annick Boudreau by comedian and novelist Charles Demers. In Primary Obsessions, one of Dr. Boudreau's patients, Sanjay, is accused of a violent crime. The police as convinced he's the culprit, but Boudreau disagrees — and she's going to do whatever it takes to prove Sanjay's innocence.
When you can read it: Sept. 26, 2020
Demers is a Juno Award-nominated comedian and author from Vancouver. He is also the author of the crime novel Property Values.
Consent by Annabel Lyon
In Consent, Sara becomes her intellectually disabled sister Mattie's caregiver after their mother dies. But when Sara returns home, she surprisingly finds Mattie married to her mother's handyman, Robert. Sara gets the marriage annulled, driving a wedge between herself and Mattie. When Robert re-enters their lives, Sara and Mattie get entangled with another set of sisters and their difficult relationship: twins Saskia and Jenny.
When you can read it: Sept. 29, 2020
Annabel Lyon is a writer from Vancouver. Her novel The Golden Mean won the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize, was shortlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and the Governor General's Literary Award for fiction. Her other books include the short story collection Oxygen, the novella collection The Best Thing for You and the young adult novels All-Season Edie and Encore Edie.
Tales from the Bottom of My Sole by David Kingston Yeh
Tales from the Bottom of My Sole is a sequel to David Kingston Yeh's debut novel A Boy at the Edge of the World. This time, protagonist, former hockey player, Daniel Garneau, is dealing with the sudden return of his long-lost sibling, who is now a trans man named Luke. At the same time, his ex, Marcus is planning the premiere of his one-man show which could further throw a wrench into his new relationship.
When you can read it: Oct. 1, 2020
Yeh is a Toronto-based writer and LGBTQ counsellor. He is also the author of the novel A Boy at the Edge of the World.
Arborescent by Marc Herman Lynch
Arborescent is a novel about three neighbours who, as they become further and further entrenched in the community in their apartment complex, experience increasingly strange things. Nohlan Buckles, Hachiko Yoshimoto and Zadie Chan start to question what is real and what's in their heads — and what reality in our contemporary lives really is to begin with.
When you can read it: Oct. 1, 2020
Marc Herman Lynch is a writer currently living in Calgary. He is a first-generation French-Chinese immigrant. Arborescent is his first novel.
Daniil and Vanya by Marie-Hélène Larochelle, translated by Michelle Winters
In Daniil and Vanya, married couple Emma and Gregory want to become parents. When they can't get pregnant, they decide to adopt twin boys from Russia. But the boys' behaviour isn't like other children's, and it only gets worse as they get older. They show no empathy and are involved in many disturbing and perverse incidents, leading Emma and Gregory to worry about what is wrong and what they can do about it — before it's too late.
When you can read it: Oct. 1, 2020
Marie-Hélène Larochelle is a professor of literature at York University in Toronto. Daniil and Vanya is her first novel.
Michelle Winters is a writer, translator and artist from Saint John. Her debut novel, I Am a Truck, was shortlisted for the 2017 Scotiabank Giller Prize.
Why Birds Sing by Nina Berkhout
Why Birds Sing is the story of an unexpected relationship forged through the power of music. Dawn is an opera singer whose career is washed up, and she makes ends meet by teaching arias to a group of eager whistlers. After her estranged brother-in-law Tariq moves in, he ends up joining the group, along with his pet parrot. Dawn and Tariq eventually bond, but everything is challenged as Dawn's marriage falls apart and Tariq's health declines.
When you can read it: Oct. 6, 2020
Nina Berkhout is a poet and novelist who currently lives in Ottawa. She is also the author of the novel The Gallery of Lost Species.
Neighbourhood Watch by Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette, translated by Rhonda Mullins
Neighbourhood Watch is a story of three lonely 12-year-olds who live in the same apartment block in Montreal. They have to take on more than they should, because their family situations aren't great. And because their walls are thin, they know what's happening in each other's lives. Kevin's mom took off, and his dad is doing his best to make it work, even though he lost his job. Melissa has to care for her siblings and stay away from her mother because there's a restraining order. And Roxanne loves the violin and saves her mother's empty bottles so she can sell them for extra cash.
When you can read it: Oct. 6, 2020
Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette is a novelist, screenwriter and director from Montreal. Her novel Suzanne won the Prix des libraires du Québec and was shortlisted for the Governor General's Literary Award for French-language fiction. The English version of the novel was defended by Yanic Truesdale on Canada Reads 2019.
Rhonda Mullins is a writer and translator living in Montreal. She won the 2015 Governor General's Literary Award for French-to-English translation for Jocelyne Saucier's Twenty-One Cardinals. She also translated Barbeau-Lavalette's Suzanne and Saucier's And the Birds Rained Down, which was defended on Canada Reads 2015 by Martha Wainwright.
The Bladebone by Ausma Zehanat Khan
The Bladebone is the latest book The Khorasan Archives fantasy series by Ausma Zehanat Khan, which includes The Bloodprint and The Black Khan. In The Bladebone, the female warriors of the Companions of Hira must uncover the secrets of the ancient weapon the Bladebone in order to defeat the One-Eyed Preacher and his authoritarian rule once and for all. But the journey, and the final battle, will not be easy.
When you can read it: Oct. 6, 2020
Ausma Zehanat Khan is a fantasy and mystery writer originally from Toronto. She's a former adjunct law professor and former editor-in-chief of Muslim Girl magazine. Her mysteries include The Unquiet Dead, The Language of Secrets, Among the Ruins and A Dangerous Crossing. She is also the author of the fantasy series, The Khorasan Archives, which includes the books The Bloodprint and The Black Khan.
You Will Love What You Have Killed by Kevin Lambert, translated by Donald Winkler
In the surreal and darkly comic novel You Will Love What You Have Killed children in Chicoutimi, Que., are dying untimely and often violent deaths. But their deaths aren't the end of the story: instead, they rise up, go to school, grow up and plot their revenge against the adults who have wronged them.
When you can read it: Oct. 6, 2020
Kevin Lambert is a writer from Quebec. You Will Love What You Have Killed is his first novel, and the first to be translated into English. He is also the author of the novel Querelle de Roberval.
Donald Winkler is a filmmaker and translator from Montreal. He won the Governor General's Literary Award for French-to-English translation for The Lyric Generation: The Life and Times of the Baby-Boomers by François Ricard, Partitia for Glenn Gould by Georges Leroux and The Major Verbs by Pierre Nepveu. Two books translated by him have been finalists for the Scotiabank Giller Prize: A Secret Between Us by Daniel Poliquin in 2007 and Arvida by Samuel Archibald in 2015.
Attack Surface by Cory Doctorow
Attack Surface is the latest novel from sci-fi writer Cory Doctorow, set in the same world as his books Little Brother and Homeland. Attack Surface is about counterterrorism expert Masha Maximow whose day job is working on technology that helps regimes track down dissidents. On the side, she sometimes helps out the same bad guys she is chasing down — only if they are fighting for a good cause. But when her double-agent duty hits too close to home, she realizes she has to pick a side, before it's too late.
When you can read it: Oct. 13, 2020
Cory Doctorow is a bestselling sci-fi novelist whose past books include Little Brother and Walkaway. His novella collection Radicalized was defended on Canada Reads 2020 by Akil Augustine. He is also the editor of the blog Boing Boing.
Daughter of Black Lake by Cathy Marie Buchanan
Daughter of Black Lake is a novel set in a small village in the first century AD. A young girl, Devout, grows up, falls in love and starts a family. But as she ages, the village changes, shifting from a place of prosperity to struggling with famine, war and outsiders invading. It's up to Devout's daughter to save her family and community before it's gone forever.
When you can read it: Oct. 13, 2020
Cathy Marie Buchanan is a novelist from Toronto. Her other books include The Painted Girls and The Day the Falls Stood Still.
The Night Piece by André Alexis
The Night Piece is a collection of career-spanning stories by Scotiabank Giller Prize and Canada Reads winner André Alexis. Alexis draws from his previous publications, including Despair and Other Stories of Ottawa and Beauty & Sadness, as well as works that have not been published before.
When you can read it: Oct. 13, 2020
Alexis is the author Fifteen Dogs, which won Canada Reads 2017 and the 2015 Scotiabank Giller Prize, and Days by Moonlight, which won the 2019 Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize.
You are Eating an Orange. You are Naked. by Sheung-King
You are Eating an Orange. You are Naked. is a surreal novel about a translator who travels the globe with his lover. Along the way, they tell each other stories, pose philosophical questions and share their ideas about the world. It's glamorous and stimulating, but the lover often disappears without explanation.
When you can read it: Oct. 27, 2020
Sheung-King is a writer born in Vancouver, raised in Hong Kong and currently living in Toronto. You are Eating an Orange. You are Naked. is his first book.
The Forgotten Daughter by Joanna Goodman
The Forgotten Daughter is about a surprising love affair set against the backdrop of the Quebec separatist movement of the early 1990s. Veronique is the daughter of a prominent separatist activist, who was convicted of kidnapping and murdering a politician in the 1970s. Veronique has passionately taken up her father's cause. And James is a journalist who opposed separation, and whose sister, Elodie, was one of the Duplessis Orphans, and was wrongly declared mentally ill as a child and sent to an institution. As Veronique grows closer to James and Elodie, all three must reckon with Quebec's past and their own role in shaping its future.
When you can read it: Oct. 27, 2020
Joanna Goodman is a novelist originally from Montreal and now living in Toronto. She is also the author of The Home for Unwanted Girls.
Waiting for a Star to Fall by Kerry Clare
In the novel Waiting for a Star to Fall, a young woman named Brooke falls for the much older politician she works for, Derek. The relationship is a secret, and it eventually falls apart. But then Derek is caught in a major scandal, and Brooke must re-examine their relationship and the man she thought she knew.
When you can read it: Oct. 27, 2020
Kerry Clare is a writer and blogger from Toronto. She is also the author of the novel Mitzi Bytes. She editor of the website 49th Shelf.
The Narrows of Fear by Carol Rose GoldenEagle
The Narrows of Fear is a novel that celebrates the resilience of Indigenous women. In The Narrows of Fear, a group of women come together to heal from their past traumas, celebrate their culture, share stories and connect with each other.
When you can read it: Oct. 30, 2020
Carol Rose GoldenEagle is a Cree and Dene author from Saskatchewan. She is the author of the novels Bearskin Diary and Bone Black and the poetry collection Hiraeth.
Brighten the Corner Where You Are by Carol Bruneau
Brighten the Corner Where You Are is a novel inspired by the life of folk artist Maud Lewis. Lewis lived in poverty in a tiny, colourful home in Marshalltown, N.S., with her husband Everett. But behind her sunny disposition and colourful art was a story of grief, loss, hardship and immense resilience. Brighten the Corner Where You Are, imagines Maud's life, and shares her remarkable story.
When you can read it: Sept. 30, 2020
Carol Bruneau is a writer from Halifax. Her other books include the novels Purple for Sky and A Circle on the Surface and the short story collection A Bird on Every Tree.
Breaking Right by D.A. Lockhart
Breaking Right is the first short story collection from poet D.A. Lockhart. Each story is about an ordinary person who experiences something extraordinary, which challenges their relationships, their identity and how they connect to and understand the world.
When you can read it: Nov. 1, 2020
Lockhart is a Turtle Clan member of the Moravian of the Thames First Nation and the author of four poetry collections, including Devil in the Woods.
Stella Atlantis by Susan Perly
Stella Atlantis is a follow-up novel to Susan Perly's Death Valley. Photographer Vivienne Pink and novelist Johnny Coma used to be married. But now they are estranged from each other, both haunted by the death of their daughter, Stella. Separately, they travel, taking on new lovers and diving into their art, in an effort to combat their grief and find purpose, joy and love once again.
When you can read it: Nov. 3, 2020
Susan Perly is a journalist and writer who has worked as a war correspondent and radio producer for CBC. Her novels include Love Street and Death Valley. She lives in Toronto.
I Am Ariel Sharon by Yara El-Ghadban, translated by Wayne Grady
I Am Ariel Sharon is a novel that imagines what went on in the mind of Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon during his coma, which lasted for eight years, until his death in 2014. In I Am Ariel Sharon, Sharon is confronted with the women in his life he has wronged, including his mother and wives, along with the legacy he is leaving behind, how he approached Israel's wars and how he treated the Palestinian people.
When you can read it: Nov. 17, 2020
Yara El-Ghadban is a novelist, anthropologist, essayist and ethnomusicologist from Montreal.
Wayne Grady is a writer and translator from Kingston, Ont. His novels include Emancipation Day, which won the Amazon.ca First Novel Award, and Up From Freedom. He won the Governor General's Literary Award for French-to-English translation for his translation of On the Eighth Day by Antonine Maillet.
The Push by Ashley Audrain
The Push is a thriller about a woman who is experiencing motherhood for the first time, but it's not like anything she expected — in fact, it's everything she was terrified it would be. When Blythe's first child, Violet, is born, she feels no connection to the baby — and Violet isn't anything like other babies. But Blythe's husband is convinced it's all in her head, and everything will be fine if she just relaxes. But what if he's wrong? And if he's right, what does that say about Blythe?
When you can read it: Jan. 5, 2021
Ashley Audrain is the former publicity director of Penguin Canada. The Push is her first novel.
Corrections
- The pub date of Brighten the Corner of Where You Are has been updated to Sept. 30.Sep 04, 2020 10:58 AM ET
