Guide to the 2019 Giller Prize

*Image courtesy of the Scotiabank Giller Prize*

Welcome one and all to the 2019 Giller Prize! The longlist was announced last week and we’ve got an interesting mix of contenders this year. For those new to Canadian literary awards but wanting to dive into a good ol’ homegrown book, this list is an excellent start. It’s worth noting though that there are plenty of amazing books that didn’t make the cut.

Each year, twelve books in the genre of literary fiction are longlisted and five are shortlisted before a winner is announced. With the prize being a whopping $100,000 CAD, it’s not surprising that it’s a prize authors are keen to win. It’s one of the highest prizes in Canadian literature and also really fun to follow.

To give you a taste of where your interests might lie, we’ve broken down the nominees and briefly discussed their plot, author, likelihood of winning the top prize, and who should read them. Without further adieu, let’s get started.

UPDATE on the shortlist:

Oh boy were we ever wrong in our predictions! Congratulations to the six shortlisted authors! Check out below to see who made the cut. The winner will be announced November 18, and it’s anyone’s guess now.

UPDATE on winner:

Congratulations to Ian Williams on his big win for Reproduction! The guy’s first crack at a novel was a home run.

Days by moonlight

André Alexis

After his parent’s death and breakup with his girlfriend, botanist Alfred Homer is recruited by Professor Morgan Bruno to embark on a roadtrip in search of poet John Skennen’s ghost. As the characters are thrust into a Gothic fantasy version of Southern Ontario, André Alexis’ Days by Moonlight is a surreal and spectacular Canadian road trip novel that travels to rural towns that are home to an Indigenous parade throwing fruit at people dressed as John A. MacDonald, house burnings, and many more bizarre entities.

Alexis has written a slew of acclaimed books and shows no signs of slowing down. He won the 2015 Giller Prize for his delightfully existential Fifteen Dogs, the second entry in his Quincunx Cycle (a fun way of saying five-book series). Days by Moonlight is the fourth book published and last in the series chronology. It all sounds rather convoluted, but hey, creating a thematic literary universe of stand-alone novels doesn’t exactly sound easy.

For deeply literary folk who relish Americana works like Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, launch yourself into 21st century books in your own backyard. Alexis methodically intertwines story and setting, making them inseparable and sharply human. He’s a shoe-in for the shortlist and will likely go head-to-head with Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments for the top prize.

The Testaments

Margaret Atwood

Taking place fifteen years after the events in Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, this sequel follows three narrators: Aunt Lydia, a mentor of sorts from Offred’s days training to be a handmaid; a young woman living in the dystopian Gilead; and a young Canadian woman who is disturbed by the politics of Gilead’s institutions.

Atwood’s book wasn’t even out yet and in July it was longlisted for the Booker Prize—pretty much the biggest international English literature award there is. Much like how last year’s Giller Prize winner (Esi Edugyan’s Washington Black) was nominated for the Booker, it’s a no-brainer that The Testaments is on the list this year as well.

It’s been nearly thirty-five years since the publication of The Handmaid’s Tale and, due to the success of the HBO series, it’s undeniably the best time for Atwood to have conjured up a sequel. As she has already been nominated for the award twice, won once, and reached international stardom, ideally it would be nice to see the $100,000 prize go to an author who could use the career boost. All that said, The Testaments is certainly going to make the shortlist and likely to be the book to beat out this year.

Immigrant City — SHORTLISTED

David Bezmozgis

Latvian-born David’s Bezmozgis celebrates a colourful cast of immigrant characters going about their lives in Canada. The short stories in Immigrant City are a seven course meal featuring the cathartic and sad, with a helping of the downright bizarre. A tech conference that aims to rewrite historical events, secrets deciphered from post-war Yiddish letters, and a father determined to drag a car door home with his young daughter are just hints of the endearing and surreal tales to unravel.

Much of his work, the stories in Immigrant City being no exception, interact with Jewish and Eastern European identity in Canada. Bezmozgis has had a long and successful career as a writer and a filmmaker in a multitude of genres and moods. His creative credits are incredibly diverse, so it’s safe to expect anything from him. Fun fact: He also was a writer on the final season of Orphan Black.

No stranger to the Giller Prize, Bezmozgis has been shortlisted twice for his previous novels. Novels may get most of the love these days, but short story collections are on the rise. So maybe this is finally his year to shine?

*Image courtesy of McClelland & Stewart*

Greenwood

Michael Christie

Starting from 2034 in one of the world's last remaining forests, Jake Greenwood is an overqualified tour guide for ultra-rich vacationers. Trickling back over a hundred years to 1934, Jake’s family tree branches back to an injured carpenter, an eco-warrior protestor, and a drifting squatter whose family feels the effect of his secrets for generations. Max Christie’s Greenwood, a multi-generational book following a single family, is perhaps not dissimilar in narrative structure from Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude, only going backwards in time with a distinct West Coast feel.

Much like most of the author’s nominated this year, Christie is well decorated with dozens of Canadian literary awards. His first novel, If I Fall, If I Die, was longlisted for 2015 Giller Prize. He seems like a real West Coast guy, having moved to Vancouver to try his hand at professional skateboarding before finding his way years later in the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) creative writing program.

Greenwood isn’t available until September 24, but its spot on the longlist is promising for readers interested in speculative literature about our climate crisis. Being an urgent time for the environment, one could say that this book is timely, if not overdue. With the critically topical themes, a Canadian vibe, and Christie’s rich writing history, we think this tapestry stands a good chance of making the shortlist.

*Image courtesy of House of Anansi Press*

small game hunting at the local coward gun club — SHORTLISTED

Megan Gail Coles

Spanning over the course of a single day in a restaurant, Megan Gail Coles’ Small Game Hunting at the Local Coward Gun Club (bit of a mouthful, we know) follows Olive, Iris, and a cast of other characters who showcase the diverse locals of St. John’s and how class and gender come into play in the region’s community identity. Woven throughout the colourful interactions, the personality of Newfoundland herself is perhaps the most important.

This is Coles’ debut novel after a long career as a playwright in St. John’s. Her creative background makes sense as parts of her novel unfold like a play and is better for it. This is one of three books longlisted this year from House of Anansi Press. Considering there is a submission cap for how many titles publishing houses can nominate to the Giller Prize, the indie publisher appears to be firing on all cylinders.

A scathing examination of life in St. John’s, the book takes hopelessness about the future that Coles’ says many Newfoundlanders feel and dissects where it comes from. Violence against women, classism and environmentalism are examined confrontationally and don’t make straight white men look too great. For all you readers feeling pushed down by Canada’s patriarchal society, this is going to be cathartic.

The innocents — SHORTLISTED

Michael Crummey

Two young siblings are cast away along the Newfoundland coast. With little knowledge of how to survive or why they are stranded, the bond between brother and sister is tested in this tale of survival. Through illness, weather, and frothing sea, years will go by and answers will be unravelled in Michael Crummey’s The Innocents.

Crummey has a long career of publishing Newfie poems, novels, and short stories. Although this is his first run-in with the Giller Prize, two of Crummey's novels have been shortlisted for the Governor General's Literary Award for fiction in previous years.

Another book placed in Newfoundland on the longlist, The Innocents is a classical, slow-paced adventure where the unforgiving landscape of Canada antagonizes our quiet characters—a time-old staple of Canadian literature. This book will no doubt appeal to those in search of a literary piece in a frightening, stormy setting while you’re cozily tucked into the safety of a reading chair.

Dream Sequence

Adam Foulds

Henry Banks is hot off of his successful TV drama and is hungry for a prestige film role to launch his stardom to permanence. To look the part, his mental wellbeing suffers as he aggressively diets to appease an aloof director. Meanwhile in Philadelphia, Kristin is a huge fan of Henry’s and, after a short encounter at an airport, plans to meet him again in London—They’re destined to be together after all, she believes.

Adam Foulds has lived his life in England and received wide acclaim for his second novel, The Quickening Maze (2009), having it even shortlisted for the Booker Prize. He’s received attention for meticulous research and detail in his historical fiction, though Dream Sequence is very much a subdued British novel.

While a novel doesn’t have to be about Canadian identity or location to be nominated or even win the award, it’s difficult to see what special something earned Dream Sequence a spot on this year’s longlist. The book is a bit fluffy and slow to action, so it’s unlikely it will make the shortlist.

Late Breaking

K.D Miller

Inspired by the works of Canadian modernist painter Alex Colville, K.D. Miller dives into imagined worlds where husbands and wives, parents and children all falter to communicate in her fourth collection of short stories, Late Breaking. Colville’s art was part of the Modernist movement in the 1950s and 60s and is classified under the offbeat genre of Magic Realism. With Colville’s painting reflecting the mundane and foreboding, it’s safe to expect the same energy from Miller’s prose.

For those who are intrigued by impressionist art and stories that savour single moments, delve into fiction that’s arranged like tableaus of people trapped in time. Miller’s writing history contains mostly short stories in magazines, anthologies, and published collections. She’s been quietly publishing away since the ‘80s and could be overdue for an award recognizing her long career.

Dual citizens — SHORTLISTED

Alix Ohlin

Two half-sisters grow up together in Montréal and form a fierce bond despite having contrasting personalities: Robin is wild and passionate while Lark is shy and cautious. Though loyal to one another, their bond is tested after both moving to New York. While Robin is a skilled pianist folding under the pressure of Juilliard, Lark’s casual partner has made it clear he doesn’t want children. Lark struggles with her desire for motherhood and tending to her increasingly strained relationship with Robin in Alix Ohlin’s Dual Citizens.

Known to skilfully write about motherhood and fertility, Ohlin recently became the chair of the creative writing program at UBC in 2018 and was shortlisted for the 2012 Giller Prize for her collection of short stories, Insides. She’s been teaching creative writing in universities throughout North America, entrenching herself in the Canadian literary community and mentoring young writers.

For readers who appreciate the bond between sisters and stories about women coming of age, you’ll likely feel a warm connection to Ohlin’s latest novel. Dual Citizen stands a good chance of being shortlisted, but could be beaten out by works a little more experimental.

Lampedusa — SHORTLISTED

Steven Price

Off the coast of Sicily is Lampedusa, Italy’s southernmost island. Giuseppe Tomasi, the last prince of the island in the 1950s, is determined to write a novel before the end of his life that will serve as his lasting legacy. Steven Price gives life to his invented characters and the authentic historical details of a tiny island caught between empires throughout its history in Lampedusa.

Price is equal parts poet and novelist, having published three poetry books and three novels. His second novel, Lamplight, was longlisted for the 2016 Giller Prize and was commercially successful. Fun fact: Price’s partner is Esi Edugyan, two-time winner of the Giller Prize. Now THAT’S a power couple!

A classic book about a guy who’s writing a book, Lampedusa is enticing to those who love the art of writing despite its labours. It would be amazing for Edugyan and Price to have their Gillers beside each other’s on their mantelpiece. However Lampedusa has a limited web presence and is yet to prove as popular or acclaimed as Lamplight. Regardless, it’s a tough call to say whether it will be shortlisted with so much fierce competition.

Frying Plantain

Zalika Reid-Benta

Zalika Reid-Benta’s collection of twelve short stories follows Kara Davis through elementary and high school as she’s caught between her Canadian and Jamaican identity. Featuring a startling encounter with a severed pig’s head and a friendship turned sour, Kara wrestles with her desire to become a “true” Jamaican and the young lady her mother and grandmother urge her to be in Frying Plantain.

Another debut author published by House of Anansi Press, Reid-Benta comes out with a powerful entrance onto the Canadian literary scene. Already started on her next project—a young-adult fantasy novel inspired by Jamaican folklore—her star is rising fast. Just take my money already, okay?

Readers from Toronto's Eglinton West neighbourhood will delight in seeing their lives reflected, as well as those that have grown up both black and a child of immigrant parents. We expect Frying Plantain to make the shortlist and possibly be a contender for the top prize itself. It’d be explosive and exciting to see a debut writer duke it out against Atwood and win.

Reproduction — winner!

Ian Williams

Felicia is doing the best she can to raise her son, fourteen-year-old Army, as a single parent. They live together in the basement of another family’s house, home to a single father and his two kids above. When lavish gifts start to arrive from Army’s estranged father, their family dynamic is challenged as the temptation of money draws Army further from his mother.

A professor in the creative writing program at UBC, Ian Williams is a decorated poet and tries his hand at writing a novel to glowing effect. Not hiding his poetic flare, Williams experiments with form in Reproduction as the narrative is told through a mix of diary entries, poems, charts and other mediums, keeping the reader on their toes.

Half love story and half coming-of-age tale, Reproduction attracts those in search of a cosy but complex read about families—blood and surrogate—alongside the village that it takes to raise a child. This book is another strong candidate for the shortlist, but perhaps it lacks a certain thematic punch to burst through the noise of the other contenders.

Jo Ramsay

is a Canadian-born, London-based editor and travel copywriter. She’s worked in publishing for four years and continues to pursue opportunities in Canada and abroad. She’s worked at two publishing houses (Arsenal Pulp Press and Greystone Books) and was the blog and opinions editor at The Ubyssey newspaper. She’s lived in Canada, the UK, and Japan.

Jo RamsaySeptember 10, 2019Giller Prize