Giller Prediction

Tonight the winner of the Scotiabank Giller Prize will be announced.  It's Canada's biggest literary prize and it kicks off the big three of the literary season here.  This year I have been able to read all five of the books on the shortlist and thus I can make a true prediction of who I think will win!

That being said, I have no clue!  There is no one runaway book for me that I can point to and say "that's the book that will win hands down."  I think a lot of readers are also probably thinking the same thing.  It's too hard for me to say which one will be picked by the jurors.  That being said, if I were picking the winner, I would pick
The Imposter Bride by Nancy Richler

I haven't posted a review for this book as I just finished reading it today (just in time!)  But here is the description from the book jacket:

A young, enigmatic woman - Lily Azerov - arrives in post-war Montreal expecting to meet her betrothed, Sol Kramer.  When Sol sees Lily at the train station, however, he turns her down.  His brother, Nathan, sees Lily and instantly decides to marry her instead.  But Lily is not the person she claims to be, and her attempt to live a quiet existence as Nathan Kramer's wife shatters when she disappears, leaving her baby daughter with only a diary, an uncut diamond, and a need to discover the truth.  Who is Lily, and what happened to the young woman whose identity she stole?  Why has she left and where did she go?  It is up to the daughter Lily abandoned to find the answers to these questions as she searches for the mother she may never find or truly know.

Here are my reviews of the other shortlisted books:
419 by Will Ferguson
Ru by Kim Thuy
Whirl Away by Russel Wangersky
Inside by Alix Ohlin

Do you have a Giller prediction?

Comments

  1. CarpeDiemOctober 30, 2012 at 3:33 PM

    Oh, boy! The Impostor Bride sounds awesome! Lol, and I didn't know there was a literary season! You learn something new every day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ShanOctober 30, 2012 at 4:30 PM

      Yes! There are many literary prizes given away in Canada during the Fall, the three major being the Giller, the Governor General's Award, and the Writers Trust prize.

      Delete
  2. The Relentless ReaderOctober 30, 2012 at 4:44 PM

    I really really want to read this one! I'll be watching for the winner later :)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"The Guestbook" by Holly Martin

Image
Welcome to Willow Cottage - throw open the shutters, let in the sea breeze and make yourself completely at home.  Oh, and please do leave a comment in the Guestbook! Annie Butterworth is the landlady of Willow Cottage, a beautiful cottage in the English countryside with a colourful array of guests.  Every guest is encouraged to write their thoughts in the guestbook and do they ever!  Love, loss, happiness, sadness, guilt, affairs, births, and surprises, it’s all in there.  Even Annie’s life gets caught up in the book. As a young widow, Annie herself is going through some changes.  And the appearance of her brother-in-law, celebrity crime writer Oliver Black isn’t helping.  As the guests of Willow Cottage go about their seaside vacations, Annie and Oliver must figure out how to move on in their lives, and most importantly, if they will do so together. The Guestbook by Holly Martin is a lovely, sweet, and unique book.  Written in the form...
Read more

Literary Giveaway Blog Hop

Image
I am so excited to be participating in the Literary Giveaway Blog Hop, hosted by Judith at Leeswammes' Blog . There are over 50 participants hosting giveaways on their blog between October 15 and October 19. Be sure to hop around and check out all the awesome giveaways! My Giveaway Award season is underway in the Canadian literary world and to celebrate I would like to send someone some fabulous Canadian literature. One lucky winner will be able to choose which book they would like me to send them. Here are the choices (click on title to find out more about the book): A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews (bought at library sale) Life of Pi by Yann Martel The Last River Child by Lori Ann Bloomfield The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden (bought at library sale) Two of the books were bought at a library sale as mentioned. They are still in good condition but are obviously well-loved and do still have the library stickers on them. The other t...
Read more

"Dreaming of Elsewhere: Observations on Home" by Esi Edugyan

Image
“But where are you from, really?” This is a question that Canadians of all walks of life are often asked.  Part of our identity as Canadians is that we all come from somewhere else, and no matter how long ago, it is a defining part of who we are.   But for many people, this question is about more than where their family came to Canada from.  For many, it brings about a question of home and belonging.  These are the ideas that Esi Edugyan explored in her 2013 Henry Kreisel Memorial Lecture, Dreaming of Elsewhere: Observations on Home .  Born in Canada to parents from Ghana, Esi Edugyan has travelled to and lived in various countries, all the while searching for her identity and coming to understand the meaning of home. As an author, Edugyan also reflects on Canadian literature and the notion of the “Canadian story.”  Her wildly successful novel, Half-Blood Blues , was set outside of Canada, and something she often heard was that it was not a t...
Read more