This remarkable first novel is a Giller finalist. The story starts in Cairo in the 1960s, and eventually includes a Montreal sojourn. Plot details are unnecessary. Suffice it to say this is a love story when a chance encounter leads to obsession. The writing is beautiful; a simple action like the lighting of a cigarette becomes poetic, or when describing Cairo’s heady olfactory aura creates a visceral sensation. This is a must-read book, in my opinion.
Category: Canada Reads 2024
Denison Avenue – Christina Wong
A haunting portrayal of the gentrification of Toronto’s Chinatown-Kensington Market, told from the viewpoint of an elderly Chinese-Canadian woman, Wang Cho Sum. After the heartbreaking death of her husband in a hit-and-run accident, Cho Sum copes with grief by collecting recyclables. Loss is everywhere: shops closing, loss of the Toisan dialect. How can you build a new life when elders are dismissed and discarded? The moving prose is accompanied by beautifully-rendered black-and-white drawings by David Innes. This book should be a powerful contender for Canada Reads, championed by Naheed Nenshi.
What David Read 