THE HEART OF THE ANCIENT WOOD

Charles G.D. Roberts. THE HEART OF THE ANCIENT WOOD. Reprint, Formac, 2007. First published 1900. Another of the bundle from the Bookman sale bin. Chosen because I recognized the writer as a famous Victorian era Canadian poet and because the setting of this novel is in the woods of New Brunswick where my maternal relatives moved from--to Red River in 1869 and then to BC in 1891, after the railroad put an end to their shipping business. 

Written more than 125 years ago yet many themes are still relevant. The mother's wish to escape the hurtful gossip in the settlements. The fey child, talking to, living with the wild creatures. The dangers of vegetarianism. The conflict between hunter and environmentalist/conservationist. The emotional disruptions of adolescence. How out of tragedy some good can come. I really want to believe that the animals, with enough time, can become attuned to which humans are likely to harm them. There is a fair bit of ascribing human emotions to wild creatures. But I'm glad I read it.

THIS HUMAN DAY

 David Helwig. THIS HUMAN DAY. Oberon, 2000.

Poems, many nature-observant, learning a new home, PEI i believe. And others about Montreal. Bought this in a bundle from the Bookman sale bin because I once had coffee with the late Kingston writer, set up by a mutual friend, formerly one of his KP students. We did not hit it off. 

COEXISTENCE

Billy-Ray Belcourt. COEXISTENCE. Penguin, 2024.

A short story collection by a writer passionately defended for his novel A Minor Chorus on CBC Canada Reads in April. Will read that when I can get a copy. (Will also read the winner, A Cure for Drowning, by a local writer.)

I seldom read short story collections. I am not sure why. I did enjoy this one. Why? As the title suggests, glimpses into lives I cannot imagine. I suspect that the politics behind the collection is to correct centuries of erasure of non-binary lives and of an Indigenous POV in fiction. 

The stories that most moved me are: "My Diary", about hooking up with an old flame after twenty years, and "Various People", about Paul's attempting to cope with his mother's impending death. I also found the variety of glimpses into the creative process of different artists interesting. 

PICK A COLOUR

 Souvankham Thammavongsa. PICK A COLOUR. Knoph Canada, 2025.

Winner of last year's Giller Prize. I watched the ceremony and I watched a separate interview with the writer. I love her voice and the thoughtfulness of her responses to questions, her ability to speak about her writing process. I also love the book although it is unusual in several ways. 

It is a novel of character, a first-person stream of consciousness story of one day in the work life of Ning, a former boxer who now owns a manicure salon and lives above her shop. It is very gentle. It is very subtle. It weaves past and present, her former coach and former boss, and the differences now that she is in charge. It is left to the reader to pick up on things as closely as Ning notices and comments. It expects us to continue to live with the mystery. It expects us to see the small differences in Ning's thoughts between opening and closing time. 

I waited for a used copy to arrive at the Bookman. For now, it stays securely on my CanLit shelves.