In
my last post I provided a list of the 16 Canadian authored books that I read
for the 10th Canadian Book Challenge. This year’s Challenge
collection of reading was among the most varied. While 13 were crime fiction there were a
trio of exceptional non-fiction books.
I
like to look at the settings of Canadian crime fiction. This year’s books were
set:
1.) One in
Saskatchewan;
2.) One in
Alberta;
3.) One in
Newfoundland;
4.) One in
Manitoba;
5.) One in
Ontario;
6.) Two in
British Columbia (one of which had multiple other international locales);
7.) Two in
Quebec;
8.) One in
England;
9.) One in
Indonesia;
10.) One in the
United States; and,
11.) One in
Morocco and the United States.
What
was striking was that 9 of the 13 were set in Canada. Last year 8 of
16 were fully set outside Canada and another 3 partially out of Canada.
Except
for this annual post I do not consider whether a Canadian authored book is set
inside or outside Canada. I admit to a continuing prejudice to prefer Canadian
books set in Canada.
I
was surprised that only three involved the United States as a location with but
one of the three set fully in America. I am not sure whether Canadian crime
fiction authors are resisting encouragement to set books in the United States
or whether my reading was an anomaly.
For
the first time my favourite read of the Challenge was a work of non-fiction. Letters to a Nation was written by our
current Canadian Governor General, David Johnston. I was both fascinated and
challenged by the personal letters he has written to Canadians past and
present. I was inspired to write a letter to him of review that covered three
posts. I was honoured to receive a handwritten reply. We are fortunate to have
him as our Governor General.
Second
was A Great Reckoning by Louise
Penny. Some of her most recent books featuring Armand Gamache have not been
satisfying reads. A Great Reckoning
was a wonderful return to form with two amazing intertwined plots. The first
was a murder at the Police Academy where Gamache has been appointed Commandant.
The second involved the origins of a map found in the walls of the bistro in Three
Pines. I am really looking forward to the next in the series.
Third
was another non-fiction book, Final
Appeal by Colin Thatcher. It involved the criminal trial of my lifetime in
Saskatchewan in which the author, a former Provincial Cabinet Minister, was
convicted of murdering his wife. He was writing his perspective on the case as reflected in the sub-title, Anatomy of a Frame. It was of special interest to
me as I knew several of the legal participants and was interested in the
decisions made before, during and after trial with regard to his defence.
Fourth
was A Candle to Light the Sun by
Patricia Blondel. I was captured by the story of a young boy growing up in
rural Manitoba during the Great Depression of the 1930’s and then his post-war
years. What made the novel truly special was the poignancy of Blondal’s
personal story. Diagnosed with terminal cancer in her early 30’s she took three
months away from her family to write the novel she had dreamed of writing.
