Nothing but Life

White Pine Award 2022 ? Shortlisted

During a sweltering summer, Dills must come to terms with a horrific crime and the parent he loves who committed it.

Dills and his mom have returned to Hamilton, her hometown, hoping to leave the horrors of Windsor behind. But it?s impossible to escape the echoes of tragedy, and trouble always follows trouble.

When Dills hurts a new classmate, it comes out in court that he was in the Windsor High library when the shooter came in. But he won?t talk about what he saw, what he still sees whenever he closes his eyes. He can?t. He definitely can?t tell anyone that the Windsor Shooter is his stepfather, Jesse, that Jesse can speak into his mind from hundreds of kilometres away, and that Dills still loves him even though he committed an unspeakable crime.

AUTHOR

Brent van Staalduinen

Brent van Staalduinen lives, works, and writes in Hamilton, Ontario. He is the recipient of both the 2015 Bristol Short Story Prize and the 2015 Short Works Prize, his work appears in The Sycamore Review, The Bristol Prize Short Story Anthology 8, EVENT Magazine, The Dalhousie Review, The New Quarterly, and The New Guard Literary Review. A graduate of the Humber School of Writers, he also holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia and teaches writing at Redeemer University College.

Reviews

In Nothing but Life, Brent van Staalduinen offers readers what the news often fails to provide in the wake of a mass shooting ? what remains in the aftermath beyond sensationalism and how those affected grieve. In following a young boy and his family’s journey toward healing after someone they love commits unthinkable violence, this novel sings with sorrow, yes, but also with great empathy and love.
– Anne Valente, author of The Desert Sky Before Us

Capturing perfectly the tender chaos of adolescence, Nothing but Life grabs you by the heartstrings and won?t let go. Beautifully written and satisfyingly redemptive.
– Roz Nay, bestselling author of Hurry Home

As Dills tells his story and shares the worst and weirdest summer of his life, it feels deliciously like eavesdropping. A compelling read.
– Karen Bass, author of Two Times a Traitor

Brent van Staalduinen has once again created an unforgettable character and voice. In Dills, he brings forth our seething, hurting unpredictability along with all of our innocence, reminding us that love is that thing which complicates us and yet also, ultimately, makes us who we are. Nothing but Life is a gentle and yet razor-sharp look into what hurts and heals us, filled with a wisdom that permeates every sentence.
– Amanda Leduc, author of The Centaur’s Wife

van Staalduinen writes with clarity and ease … A moving portrayal of a complex situation that will appeal to teenagers mature enough to read about school shootings.
– School Library Journal

van Staalduinen does an excellent job of capturing a teen voice and capturing Dills’s emotional and challenging journey towards healing.
– Canadian Children’s Book News, starred review

… by writing with much seriousness, Brent van Staalduinen makes the reader realize that a story about a young man reclaiming his life rather than living it as the legacy of his stepdad’s military PTSD or his own trauma associated with the shooting is sombre and requires thoughtfulness and compassion.
– CanLit for Little Canadians

A lovely examination of how families can break and heal over time … a great read.
– Read and Reviewed

Well-balanced with doses of humour, the plot and cast of characters are likely to capture and maintain readers’ interest, qualities that make it likely to be much enjoyed by the target audience. Recommended.
– CM: Canadian Review of Materials

It?s no surprise that Nothing But Life is receiving so much well?deserved attention. It is a must?read, not just for its YA audience, but for any adult working with teens.
– Young Adulting