David Chariandy’s second novel Brother takes place in Scarborough, Ontario but the prize-winning work of fiction has grabbed the attention of critics across the pond. The Gaurdian‘s Dina Nayeri calls it, “an exquisite novel, crafted by a writer as talented and precise as Junot Díaz and Dinaw Mengestu. It is elegant, vital, indubitably dope – the most moving book I’ve read in a year.” In The Observer, Arifa Akbar calls the novel “A breathtaking achievement … a compulsive, brutal and flawless novel that is full of accomplished storytelling with not a word spare.”
We are thrilled for David Chariandy whose novel Brother won the 2018 Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize.
Chariandy grew up in Toronto and lives and teaches in Vancouver. His debut novel, Soucouyant, received stunning reviews and nominations from eleven literary awards juries, including a Governor General’s Literary Award shortlisting, a Gold Independent Publisher Award for Best Novel, and the Scotiabank Giller Prize longlist. Brother is his second novel.
Christine Higdon’s debut novel The Very Marrow of Our Bones is off to a great start. Kirkus calls it, “an ambitious debut novel that will make you cry, cringe, and laugh.” And in an interview with Higdon, Open Book called the novel “a deeply compelling story of secrets, ambitions, identity, and loss, told with insight and honesty and laced with bright moments of hope and humour.” The Very Marrow of Our Bones has also been reviewed in Toronto Star, Publishers Weekly, and Booklist.
The most recent book in Steve Burrows’ Birder Murder Mystery Series, A Shimmer of Hummingbirds, received a starred review in Kirkus! “Skillfully written, full of moral ambiguities and artful puzzles, with a spine-tingling final sentence.” Click here to read the full review.
Eat This! How Fast Food Marketing Gets You to Buy Junk (And How to Fight Back), Andrea Curtis’ follow-up to her bestselling book, What’s For Lunch?, has received starred reviews from Kirkus and School Library Journal.
Congratulations to Joel Thomas Hynes whose novel, We’ll All Be Burnt in Our Beds Some Night, won the 2017 BMO Winterset Award!
The Award, which celebrates excellence in Newfoundland and Labrador writing, is composed of a partnership between the BMO Financial Group, ArtsNL, and the project’s founder, writer Richard Gwyn.
We are thrilled for Mark Sakamoto and his book Forgiveness, winner of the 2018 Canada Reads debates. The book which originally published in 2014 and was shortlisted for the Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction, is in its eighth week on the bestseller list since being nominated. Sakamoto’s recent win has led to renewed interest including coverage in the National Post and Maclean’s.
Congratulations Mark – we are so proud to have you here at Westwood Creative Artists!
Author and photographer Nancy Rose was featured on The Weather Network! Click here for a behind-the-scenes look at how she captures pictures of the cute little critters in her Squirrels book series. Her newest book The Secret Life of Squirrels: Back to School! will be available this summer.
Elaine “Lainey” Lui of CTV’s “The Social” and founder and editor of LaineyGossip.com, personally revealed the cover of Raziel Reid’s YA novel Kens on her namesake blog. Lui, who represented Reid’s first book When Everything Feels Like the Movies on CBC’s Canada Reads 2015, took the opportunity to share her appreciation of his latest work, “This is a story of identity and acceptance and, like all of Raziel’s work, it’s funny and provocative and deeply disturbing… because don’t we all wear masks? Don’t we all borrow faces?”
Kens will be available September 2018.
Congratulations to acclaimed YA author Susan Juby on making the Young Adult Library Services Association’s list of 2018 Best Fiction for Young Adults with her newest title, The Fashion Committee. Since publishing in 2017 the novel has earned positive reviews from Quill & Quire and the Toronto Star, and received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Horn Book Magazine, and School Library Journal. The Globe and Mail said, “Like all Juby novels, this one is sparkling verbose and self-deprecating … This one is tailored to perfection for readers who love to laugh and look good doing it.”