Keegan Connor Tracy on why Greenwood's complex characters and themes make it a novel that would appeal to all
On Day Two of Canada Reads, Keegan Connor Tracy shared her thoughts on the novel by Michael Christie
The Canada Reads 2023 theme, "One book to shift your perspective," remains at the centre of discussions on Day Two of the debates as the panellists examine the remaining four contenders.
Actor, director and writer Keegan Connor Tracy, known for her role as the Blue Fairy in the TV show Once Upon a Time, is championing the novel Greenwood by Michael Christie.
In Greenwood, it's the year 2038 and most of the world has suffered from an environmental collapse. But there is a remote island with 1,000 year-old trees and Jake Greenwood works as a tour guide there. From there, the novel takes you back in time as you learn more about Jake, her family and how secrets and lies can have an impact for generations.
During her 60-second statement, Tracy argued that Greenwood would appeal to readers of all kinds due to its cast of characters, complexity and poetic nature.
"With complicated characters and complex themes, it is lyrical and tender. It's a little dystopian. And it's all wrapped up in this good ol' family saga. It takes us on this great chase across Canada, binding us to these layered characters that we can really fall in love with or hate," said Tracy.
"I think it was really easy to become invested in Everett's life-long battle to just be part of a family, and this loping villain Lomax always after him, to lament Harris's inability to live his truth ... I was angry about Jake's refusal of salvation, which made me kind of question my own moral code."
Tracy also reflected on the powerful use of setting in the novel.
It takes us on this great chase across Canada, binding us to these layered characters that we can really fall in love with or hate.- Keegan Connor Tracy
"Always there is just this lush description of this beautiful country. And forever this call echoing through the trees to fight fiercely for the people and the land that we love lest we lose them forever."
The Canada Reads 2023 champions and their chosen books are:
- Jeopardy! super-champ Mattea Roach champions Ducks by Kate Beaton
- Actor Keegan Connor Tracy champions Greenwood by Michael Christie
- Bhangra dancer Gurdeep Pandher champions Hotline by Dimitri Nasrallah
- TikTok creator Tasnim Geedi champions Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
- Actor Michael Greyeyes champions Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Here's how you can tune into Canada Reads 2023:
ON RADIO: Canada Reads will air on CBC Radio at 10:05 a.m. in the Eastern, Central, Mountain and Pacific time zones.
It will air at 11:05 a.m. in the Maritimes, 1:05 p.m. in Labrador and at 1:35 p.m. in Newfoundland.
The debates will replay at 9 p.m. local time in all time zones, except in Newfoundland, where it will replay at 9:30 p.m.
ON TV: CBC TV will broadcast Canada Reads at 1 p.m. in the Eastern, Central, Mountain and Pacific time zones. It will air at 2 p.m. in the Atlantic time zone and at 2:30 p.m in the Newfoundland time zone.
ONLINE: CBC Books will livestream the debates at 10:05 a.m. ET on CBCBooks.ca, YouTube, Facebook and CBC Gem. The livestreams on YouTube and Facebook will be available to watch outside Canada.
- DAY THREE livestreams: CBC Books, CBC Gem, YouTube, Facebook
- FINALE livestreams: CBC Books, CBC Gem, YouTube, Facebook
PODCAST: Listen to the debates as a podcast on CBC Listen. The episode will be posted each day after the live airing.
WARNING: The books chosen for Canada Reads deal with difficult topics, such as trauma and abuse. These stories may be shared during the broadcast. Click this link to find publicly available resources for support.