Small Town & Rural
All That Belongs
By Dora Dueck
Catherine, an archivist, has spent decades committed to conserving the pasts of others, only to find her own resurfacing on the eve of her retirement. Carefully, she mines the failing memories of her aging mother to revive a mysterious Uncle and relive the tragic downfall of ... Read more
Always Brave, Sometimes Kind
By Katie Bickell
An exciting debut novel told in connected short stories that captures the diverse and complicated networks of people who stretch our communities—sometimes farther than we know.
Set in the cities, reserves, and rural reaches of Alberta, Katie Bickell’s debut novel is told ... Read more
Angel in Blue Jeans
By Richard L. Coles
Dana and Tony have found romance and they couldn’t be happier with one another. Strolling home one icy evening, the young couple sees a police car pulling up in front of Tony’s family home. Tony’s brother along with Dana’s brother had been drinking and driving that evening. ... Read more
Aubrey McKee
By Alex Pugsley
I am from Halifax, salt-water city, a place of silted genius, sudden women, figures floating in all waters. “People from Halifax are all famous,” my sister Faith has said. “Because everyone in Halifax knows each other’s business. ”
From basement rec rooms to midnight ... Read more
Autant
By Paulette Dubé
“If heaven is full of angels like me, hell must be empty.” So begins Autant, a tale woven over the course of four days and fifty-four years, based on the relationship between bees and one Franco-Albertan family, the Garances, of Autant, Alberta. Tension emerges in the balance ... Read more
Bad Ideas
By Missy Marston
Wildly funny and wonderfully moving, Bad Ideas is about just that — a string of bad ideas — and the absurdity of love
Trudy works nights in a linen factory, avoiding romance and sharing the care of her four-year-old niece with Trudy’s mother, Claire. Claire still pines ... Read more
Cold Metal Stairs
By Su Croll
Emerging from the expanse of bewildered mourning, Su Croll's third collection, Cold Metal Stairs, is a timely lament for those who wander deep into the mists of failing memory, and for those who are left behind, waiting. With profound care, Croll breaks open the quiet conversations ... Read more
Death of Annie the Water Witcher by Lightning, The
By Audrey J. Whitson
Three years into the second millennium, Majestic, Alberta is a farm town dealing with depressed crop prices, international borders closing to Canadian beef, and a severe drought. Older farmers worry about their way of life changing while young people concoct ways to escape: ... Read more
Document 1
By François Blais
Translated by J.C. Sutcliffe
Tess and Jude live in small-town Quebec and spend their time travelling all across North America--using Google maps--which provides them the luxury of adventure while remaining in the comfort of their own home. But Tess and Jude are dreamers, and their online adventures eventually ... Read more