New titles debut for this political season
This year’s fiction list is characterized by authors returning after long absences. Nino Ricci publishes his first novel since 2008; Trevor Cole is back with his first book since winning the Stephen Leacock Award for Humour in 2011; Greg Hollingshead has a new story collection, his first publication since 2004; Sharon Butala’s last published work was in 2008 and Lawrence Hill’s last fiction dates to 2007. Of the relatively prolific authors: Margaret Atwood, Terry Fallis and Patrick deWitt have new novels this season.
In non-fiction, some anticipated political books will be published amid the federal election. A few assess Stephen Harper’s record. Bob Rae wonders what happened to the politics of his early career, and former Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty writes about what it takes to lead. Lest we forget about the chaotic public and personal life of former Toronto mayor Rob Ford, his former chief of staff tells all.
FICTION
Elizabeth Hay, author of the
■ Giller Prize-winning Late Nights on Air, returns with His Whole Life, a coming of age novel set in 1990s Montreal during the uncertain days of the referendum on Quebec sovereignty. McClelland & Stewart. Out now.
Act Normal is a new set of comic
■ stories by Giller Prize finalist Greg Hollingshead, including The Drug-Friendly House, which was nominated for a National Magazine Award. House of Anansi. Out now.
The Heart Goes Last by Margaret
■ Atwood is set against the backdrop of economic collapse where citizens sign up for a program that lets them alternate between being prisoners and leaders. McClelland & Stewart. September.
Canada’s first parliamentary poet
■ laureate, George Bowering brings to life 10 portraits of unforgettable women, some fictionalized and others based on true relationships. Anvil. September.
Author of Perfection in the
■ Morning, Sharon Butala’s new book, Wild Rose, tells the story of Sophie – from strict beginnings in rural Quebec to her life as a hardy western homesteader. Coteau. September.
Stephen Leacock Award-winning
■ writer Trevor Cole applies his comedic voice to Hope Makes Love, about forging a new life from the wreckage of a lost relationship. Cormorant. September.
It’s been seven years since Nino
■ Ricci’s last book. In Sleep, the award-winning writer’s anticipated novel, Ricci explores what happens to the life, family and career of a man overtaken by a rare sleep disorder. Doubleday. September.
Anakana Schofield’s awardwinning
■ first novel Malarky featured a troubled minor character called Martin John. Her new novel, named for the character, tells his story in intricate detail. Biblioasis. September.
Another Leacock winner, Terry
■ Fallis, centres Poles Apart on an Internet-famous feminist writer, creator of the blog: Eve of Everything, who is not who her followers think she is. McClelland & Stewart. September.
Undermajordomo Minor is
■ acclaimed and award-winning writer Patrick deWitt’s third novel, a love-comedy-adventure story about a man who takes job in a castle and learns about its dark secrets. Anansi. September.
Lawrence Hill’s new book, The
■ Illegal, is about an athlete from an island country who, after losing a marathon he’s expected to and must win, is forced into life on the run in a community of illegal refugees. Harper Collins. September.
Next up in Vinyl Café adventures:
■ further along the road with Dave and Morley, Steph and Sam, as the kids fly the coup and the couple move into a new phase. The entertaining Stuart McLean writes another chapter in Vinyl Café Turns the Page. Viking Canada. October.
M is Dead: A Collaborative Novel,
■ written by Michael V. Smith, Madeline Sonik, Annette Lapointe and Brian Kaufman as voices of the friends of a transsexual performance artist whose impressions are expressed at a private service. Anvil. November.
POLITICS
Thomas Mulcair gives Canadians
■ his behind-the-scenes story – from his time as Quebec Minister of Environment to his Orange Wave ride to opposition with Jack Layton, and subsequent time as NDP leader. Dundurn. Out now.
Former Liberal leader and premier
■ of Ontario Bob Rae applies what he’s learned in a lifetime of public life against the current state of politics in Canada, and why today’s version is coming up short. Simon & Schuster. Out now.
In Unaccountable: Truth and
■ Lies on Parliament Hill, nowretired, former parliamentary budget officer, Kevin Page, reveals his experiences in the position and the consequences of trying to keep the Harper Conservatives financially honest. Viking. September.
David Suzuki, Maude Barlow,
■ Kevin Page and Murray Dobbin are some of the contributors to this look at Stephen Harper’s legacy and the condition of Canada after Stephen Harper leaves office. Edited by Ed Finn, Lorimer & Co. September.
John Ibbitson presents a closer
■ look at Stephen Harper, his early life, his family life and the personal and professional influences that led him to take Canada on a stronger conservative path. McClelland & Stewart. Out now.
Former chief of staff to Rob Ford
■ Mark Towhey, with the help of the journalist Johanna Schneller, tells about his efforts to counsel the former mayor out of his public and private difficulties in Uncontrollable: How I Tried to Help the World’s Most Notorious Mayor. Skyhorse Publishing. October.
In Making a Difference, Dalton
■ McGuinty writes about his life in politics and what he learned about leadership in 10 years as Ontario’s premier. Dundurn, November.
In Children of the Broken Treaty:
■ Canada’s Lost Promise and One Girl’s Dream, NDP MP for Timmins-James Bay Charlie Angus looks at how the Canadian government has failed First Nations children. University of Regina Press. Out now. ■ MORE BOOKS FOR FALL NEXT WEEK