Brian Thomas Isaac was born in 1950 on the Okanagan Indian Reservation in British Columbia.HO/The Canadian Press
A retired 70-year-old bricklayer is among the top six novelists shortlisted for the Amazon Canada First Novel Award.
Brian Thomas Isaac, born in 1950 on the Okanagan Indian Reservation in south-central British Columbia, is a finalist for the $60,000 prize for his coming-of-age story, ‘All the Quiet Places”, published by Brindle & Glass.
Also on the shortlist is Aimee Wall, writer and translator, for Giller’s “We, Jane,” from Book*hug Press, exploring access to abortion in rural Newfoundland.
Other nominees include Métis-Ukrainian writer and educator Conor Kerr for his story about Indigenous youth, “Avenue of Champions,” from Nightwood Editions, and Métis and Nehiyaw author Lisa Bird-Wilson with her book on research. of an adopted woman. Indigenous Identity, “Probably Ruby,” published by Doubleday Canada.
Vancouver-born Pik-Shuen Fung is nominated for her portrayal of a bereaved Chinese-Canadian family in Strange Light’s ‘Ghost Forest’, while Ottawa-based Emily Austin is recognized for her story of an atheist lesbian working as a receptionist in a Catholic church in Atria Books’ “Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead”.
The award, which is co-presented by Amazon and the Walrus Foundation, will be presented at an in-person ceremony on June 1.
Register for The Globe Arts & Lifestyle Newsletters for more news, features and advice delivered to your inbox.