Ms. Good is an acclaimed author for the novel Five Little Indians (Canada Reads 2022 winner). This book is subtitled: “Seven conversations about Indigenous life in Canada”, and I respectfully submit that her thoughtful essays should be read by non-Indigenous Canadians. She categorically states that “it is not enough to wear an orange shirt or issue/listen to empty land acknowledgements”. Her general concept is that there can be no reconciliation without truth; that the goal of colonialism was to disempower leading to the genocide of Indigenous peoples; and that Residential Schools were an implement in the colonial toolkit to destroy Indigenous identity. Ms. Good’s personal story is particularly compelling as a 60s scoop victim with five years in care. Finally, her essay on cultural pillagers, the pretendians, is a clear expose of identity theft. Provocative writing – highly recommended.
Category: Best of 2024
Wandering Stars – Tommy Orange
This is a brilliant follow-up to Orange’s There There with some of the same characters. The first part of the book is historical, the legacies of the Sand Creek massacre of 1864 and the Carlisle Industrial School for Indians. Misguided attempts at assimilation by governments and adoptions are devoted to the eradication of Native history, culture and identity. The next section of the book entitled Aftermath is even better, detailing the brutal reality of contemporary life in Oakland for two grandmothers and their three grandsons. When is life more than surviving?
This book is both shattering and wondrous – highly recommended.
The Husbands – Holly Gramazio
Lauren returns to her London flat to discover her husband Michael but … she is not married! When Michael enters the attic, a different “husband” emerges. Amazingly, her attic is capable of creating an infinite supply of husbands so Lauren recycles them, looking for an ideal (or acceptable) married relationship. This is an original and totally entertaining book.
Before The Coffee Gets Cold – Toshikazu Kawaguchi
A small basement cafe in Tokyo offers time travel, to travel back in time subject to specific rules. For example, nothing that is done in the past can change the present, and the duration of the trip is brief, limited to as long as it takes for a cup of coffee to become cold. Given these profound constraints, what is fascinating is the motivation for time travel as explored in four scenarios. Thanks Amy, for this book.
Behind You – Catherine Hernandez
Another riveting novel (her third) by Ms. Hernandez. Alma is a film editor for a True Crime series. An assignment to edit video information about the Scarborough Stalker triggers flashbacks to when Alma was a child, a 10-14-year-old, when her community was terrorized. Although female resilience is a worthy outcome, the ugly face of misogyny, romantic power struggles and generalized complicity in rape culture produces a gritty and disturbing story.
The Capital of Dreams – Heather O’Neill
And now for something entirely different – this new O’Neill book is NOT set in Montreal. It is, in fact, a surrealistic fable. Elysia, a country based on art and ideas, is invaded by the dogmatic and ultra-conservative Enemy. There are two key features of this literary masterpiece. First, how does one survive in dystopian future, with the arrest of cultural figures like writers and poets? Clara Bottom is a distinguished writer. How can her 14-year-old daughter survive? And so the second theme is the mother-daughter relationship. To be clear, this is a dark fairy tale of betrayal and survival, and there is a talking goose. A highly recommended read, but recognize that this is not a typical O’Neill book.
The Bright Sword – Lev Grossman
Grossman (author of the magnificent The Magicians trilogy) provides an entertaining re-imagining of the King Arthur legend by focussing on a young knight Collum who arrives in Camelot two weeks after the death of Arthur at the battle of Camlann. It is a time of chaos with conflicts between knights and pagan-Christian issues. Can Camelot be preserved, be rebuilt with only a few surviving knights of the round table? There are strong women like Morgan le Fay, Nimue, and yes, Queen Guinevere, imperfect men, quests and, of course, magical fairies. Highly recommended.
If I Fall, If I Die – Michael Christie
Twelve-year-old Will lives in Thunder Bay with his agoraphobic and eccentric mother, who states that if Will steps outside their home, he will die. So of course, Will’s curiosity compels him to leave his house and instead of disaster, he experiences a complicated freedom. This is a beautifully written story of family and friendship, with skateboarding!
Michael Christie also wrote Greenwood.
Long Island – Colm Toibin
This superb book is a sequel to the exquisite Brooklyn. Twenty years have passed. It is 1976 and Eilish returns to her Irish homeland after learning about her Italian husband’s infidelity. What follows is a three-way relationship story with Nancy and Jim who are still in Enniscorthy. This is a story of unfulfilled longing with a slow reveal of intentions because of withholding. Overall, a fabulous read.
What David Read 