Canada Reads 2024 Shortlist

I'm starting the five finalists with The Future by Catherine Leroux.

I just finished Denison Avenue, which is beautifully done.

I'm reading Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune So far, seems like a very light read. A strange choice for this contest. But, I'm only a few pages in.

About to start my third Canada Reads books, Shut Up You're Pretty, a collection of short stories by Tea Mutonji. I think, generally, it is hard for short stories to compete against novels. But we'll see.

Here are my thoughts on The Future: In this speculative novel, Detroit is an independent, French-speaking entity. Urban decay has led to run down homes, few services and little employment. Children have taken refuge in the forest, banding together to secure safety and shelter. When our protagonist, Gloria, arrives following the murder of her daughter, she finds her granddaughters missing and goes into the forest to find them. This is a grim story, but there is a hopefulness in the way so many characters persevere and band together to support each other. It's well written, and the characters are reasonably well developed. Just not my cup of tea.

I am a huge fan of Heather O'Neil, so maybe I'll change my mind about this one during the debate.

I didn't find much in Meet Me at the Lake beyond the typical romance novel. I really don't think this is Canada Reads worthy.

>6 LynnB: I’ll be honest, I got this one from the library and returned it unread. I figured I’d check in closer to the debate and see if I was missing something. Very odd choice indeed.

The short stories (very short: sometimes only 2-4 pages) in Shut Up You're Pretty are linked, focusing on the life of Loli, a Congolese immigrant living in subsidized housing in Scarborough. Loli arrives as a child, and we follow her life through a series of episodes, bringing her to her mid-twenties. We see her trying to fit in, navigating the highly sexualized world of teenagers from her neighbourhood, dealing with relationships and even deaths of those close to her. We see Congolese traditions and values, and they way life happens when you have relatively few resources and even fewer options. Well written, poignant stories.

Trigger warnings: sexual assault, drug use, suicide.

I'm continuing my Canada Reads pentathlon with Bad Cree by Jessica Johns

Finishing up the Canada Reads finalists with Denison Avenue by Christina Wong, illustrated by Daniel Innes

Denison Avenue was my favourite of the five finalists. This lovely book tells about loss: the grief of losing a spouse, and the displacement experienced by people, especially seniors and other marginalized people, when communities are redeveloped and gentrified. Cho Sum has lived in the Chinatown/Kensington area of Toronto for many years but speaks little English. When her husband dies suddenly, she is grieving and lonely. She starts walking through the neighbourhood collecting cans and bottles, partly for the money; mostly for something to do. On her walks, she notices more and more businesses closing and new developments opening. Her way of life is disappearing. The writing is poetic and beautiful. I felt like I was seeing things through Cho Sum's eyes and frame of reference.

The book includes wonderful ink drawings by Daniel Innes. They show the community and how it is changing and add a lot to the text. I only wish they had been interspersed through the text rather than all appearing together at the end of the book.

Just realized I didn't post my thoughts on Bad Cree.

This is the story of Mackenzie and her family, who are being haunted by a wheetigo who has taken the form of Mackenzie's deceased sister, Sabrina. The horror parts of this novel left me somewhat confused...I'm still not sure why some of the things happened or what they may mean going forward. But this is also a story of a family whose members have experienced grief and who support each other. I enjoyed that aspect of the book very much. I thought the lingering aspects of grief were really well portrayed.

The men were virtually absent throughout the story. It was a story of women supporting each other, which is probably a common scenario but I felt a missed opportunity to show men supporting -- not rescuing -- and admiring the strength of their female kin. They seemed like that kind of family.

I’ve only read Denison Avenue and already I want it to win. It was beautifully illustrated and the story was heartbreakingly sad and haunting.

Never in a million years did I think I would finally admit that I like graphic novels but Ducks and this one may have converted me. I like this format better though - I like having a written story to follow with the pictures adding dimension as opposed to the pictures telling most of the story.

ETA - I read the e-version and assumed that the photos were at the end because it was easier to format. I didn’t realize that the print version was the same. You’re right, it would have worked better if they flowed along with the story. Interesting choice.

My library holds for Shut up, You're Pretty and Meet me at the Lake just came through and I picked them up today. I am going to try to read both of them before the debates start on Monday. My library didn't have any copies of Denison Avenue when the shortlist was announced; they have since obtained some but I'm far down the list. Based on what you, LynneB, and you, Yells, have said I'm sure I'll want to read it even if it doesn't win.

Wish me luck in getting 3 out of the 5 read by next week.