Canada Reads 2011 - preliminary thoughts

At the risk of fanning the flames of controversy, I'd like to take a moment to discuss Canada Reads 2011.

And please note: I am hardly a disinterested third party here. As my novel Shelf Monkey is in their rankings of the Top 40 Novels, I do have a somewhat vested interest in the contest.

Canada Reads was launched ten years ago by CBC, an effort to bring to attention certain books that each year's jurors wished other Canadians would read. It has always been an imperfect contest, prone to pushing already popular novels out further into the spotlight, but has led to some interesting books receiving a level of public consciousness they might not normally have achieved (Fruit, Brown Girl in the Ring, Natasha and Other Stories etc.).

As some of you likely know, this year the organizers behind Canada Reads have altered its format, allowing Canadians to personally vote for the one book they wished everyone would read. From this list, the top 40 selections would be deemed 'The Top 40 Essential Canadian Novels of the Decade.' This decision to change format likely arrived as a result of public dissatisfaction with past years' selections as being a trifle too obvious. Suffice to say, when Oprah has already chosen a book for her club, it has reached a level undreamed of by most, and gets read all over the continent. Doing a Canada Reads debate on that book, regardless of its quality, seems a touch superfluous.

Already, this new format had major flaws, akin to any such lists. Voting in such a venue is a crapshoot at best, with already well-known novels likely to dominate, and smaller novels falling by the wayside unless the author/publisher makes a conscious decision to personally push a novel to get on the list.

And this is exactly what has happened; I'm proof of that. I did not go out of my way to solicit votes from strangers, I did not purchase billboard space, I did not launch attack ads against Joseph Boyden. I simply put up a public Facebook page and invited friends to vote for me, and put up a blog post as well (and if you did indeed vote for me, my deepest thanks to you and yours). If others wanted to join in, so much the better. But by focusing a group of willing participants to vote for one single novel en masse, I squeaked in and got on the list. The Top 40 is chock full of well-known, best-selling authors (and I do not mean to slight them, these are quality novels), but by virtue of a coordinated attack (the closest I'll ever get to reaching a level approaching competitiveness), both myself and number of other, lesser-known quantities such as Chris Benjamin and Leo McKay got ourselves prime positions on the list.

Frankly, I don't see anything wrong with this. In today's environment, it's increasingly hard to get recognized, and every little bit of publicity helps. I don't consider this hucksterism, or akin to prostitution (a charge leveled on me and others by a few bloggers); I consider it an opportunity, for free advertising if nothing else. Being that Canada has a few very large publishing companies that dominate the sales lists, us small-time hoods have to step up once in awhile to make ourselves heard. And besides, just being on the same list as Atwood, Boyden, Vanderhaeghe, Martel, and Shields is a thrill unto itself.

It's all silly anyway. Really, 'Top 40 Essential Novels?' Such a list is impossible to define, prone to massive subjectivity, and is far better used as a marketing ploy than a definitive collection. Which is what I suspect this all is; you can't deny, people are talking. At least, people who follow Canada Reads. If, as they claim, they had over 6000 votes, that's a sizable contingent of literary lovers.

From the Top 40, the original plan was for the five unnamed jurors to chose their Top 10, and then from those the five they would debate together on national radio in 2011. Now, at literally the last minute, Canada Reads has changed the conditions of the test, and left it to the public to decide the top 10. After the cutoff date of November 7, 2010, the as-yet-unknown jurors will be forced to choose their selections from that much smaller list.

This new decision has led to both enthusiasm and outright condemnation, and without meaning to appear wishy-washy, I do see both sides here and heartily agree with both arguments. By limiting the choices, presumably at least one of the jurors will end up with a novel he or she does not actually care about in the slightest, which could lead to a less-than-enthusiastic debate. And conceivably, as they were not declared verboten, the Top 10 could be made up entirely of past winners and nominees, leading to, again, a less-than-riveting chat about books we've all already read (or are at least familiar with).

This is a real risk, and I agree, the format this year is hardly ideal. The Top 40, while a very strong collection, is very possibly going to be whittled down to an unimpressive line-up of already popular titles. This is what happens when a large amount of people are polled, the result ends up rather homogenized in nature. I sometimes wonder, if this list included American novels, would Dan Brown have made the cut? I fear so.

But I cannot tell a lie (unless you count writing fiction as telling lies, in which case, I am an inveterate liar): I'd like to get into the top 10. I do not hold my breath on this possibility, I've already beaten the odds to get this far. But I like it when people read what I've written. I like it when people buy my book. Am I going to return the $4.00 in royalties I've made so far on Amazon.ca for sales since the Top 40 announcement? I am not, and to come out against the Canada Reads format this year would be supremely hypocritical on my part.

But what if? That's the question. Laying aside my own selfish concerns for a moment, what if we could get the list we want? Look at the Top 40 as it stands now: these are terrific fictions, and while some have arguably had their critical/commercial days in the sun (and not to take away anything from their accomplishments thus far - I think it part of the Canadian condition to distrust those who have achieved a certain level of success, but I will not succumb, I truly love many of these fine best-selling works), there are others so gawd-damned deserving of wider recognition that I salivate at the thought of a Canada Reads debate on their merits.

Think of a Top 10 like this:

1. Inside by Kenneth J. Harvey
2. Come Thou Tortoise by Jessica Grant
3. Skim by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki
4. The Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis
5. Pattern Recognition by William Gibson
6. Bottle Rocket Hearts by Zoe Whittall
7. Conceit by Mary Novik
8. Elle by Douglas Glover
9. The Fallen by Stephen Finucan
10. Moody Food by Ray Robertson

Now that would be an interesting selection. Some well-known, some esoteric, all winners, all deserving.

Do I wish that the overall list was different? Of course. I wish desperately that past winners and nominees were ineligible, to lend more space to deserving books. I wish Minister Faust has made the list; ditto John McFetridge, Peter Darbyshire, Andrew Kaufman, Emily Schultz, and Jonathan Bennett, amongst many, many others.

But I don't make the rules, I only work within them, so all I can do is work my small part of the world and hope that it is enough, and enjoy whatever fame/notoriety I can.

So if you want, please ignore Canada Reads this year, it won't hurt my feelings one bit. But if you are going to vote, vote wisely. Start up your own campaigns for your favourite novels. Let's do our best to sneak a few outsiders on the list.

And if I turn out to be one of the outsiders, I won't complain.

Canada Reads, but does Canada listen?

As some of you may know (the Canadians, anyway), tomorrow marks the start of the ninth annual Canada Reads competition, that "battle of the books" wherein Canadian celebrities (???) meet at an undisclosed (but probably in Toronto) location to argue over those particular books they each feel all Canadians should read. The winning author is then proclaimed king or queen of all Canadian literature for a year, and attends mall openings and rodeos as part of their royal obligations. Or something.

I have nothing against Canada Reads, nothing at all. I am all for anything that gets people interested in reading, and very often the list yields some interesting candidates worth discussion. Brown Girl in the Ring? Volkswagen Blues? The Fat Woman Next Door Is Pregnant? Fruit? Some real interesting stuff. The great thing about such competitions is that there is room for genuine surprise. The sad thing is, such surprises are invariably few.

As is the case with almost all similar contests, very often the popular trumps all. I don't mean to argue that the winners of Canada Reads are not worthy of merit, not at all. But the nebulous point of Canada Reads was to get all Canadians to read the same book. That worthy ideal becomes diluted when the choices are novels that everyone has already read.

Canadians already read Margaret Atwood. Was there any person actually interested in Canada Reads who hadn't read The Handmaid's Tale? Ditto Life of Pi, ditto The Stone Angel, ditto A Fine Balance, ditto A Complicated Kindness. Again, I do not mean to disparage these novels; I unreservedly love Handmaid and Life of Pi, I dig Complicated, I've never even read Balance, and my views on Stone Angel are likely distorted by the overall unhappiness of my high school years and cannot be trusted.

But most every reader (every Canadian reader, anyway) has already read these novels. These are bestsellers, Canadian classics discussed in college courses, and sometimes international sensations.

What I'm saying is, be a little more creative. There was no need at all to argue over The Book of Negroes, a bestseller many times over. Fall on Your Knees has Oprah's stamp. Generation X is so popular it actually changed the way we talk. Let's look into the nooks and crannies for the books that fell behind the couch.

These are not new arguments, I know, and they have been made repeatedly over the years by persons far more knowledgeable than myself. And maybe next year, I'll follow the example of others and have my own mini-Canada Reads.

But for now, all I'll do is offer up a list of Canadian novels that I wish more people would read so that we could discuss their merits. I have decided not to list authors who have already had a novel on Canada Reads, even though I may desire their inclusion, as they have had their chance.

These are not all 'perfect' books. Some have sold fairly well, some have not, but I don't think anyone will argue that they are overexposed. Some are 'literary,' some are just plain fun. But they all, in unique ways, affected me deeply, and need more love. And if you've already read them, and dislike them, or actively hate them? We can talk about that too, if you want.

And no, I did not include Shelf Monkey, as I figured that went without saying.

1. 4x4, by Wayne Tefs
   
2. All My Friends are Superheroes, by Andrew Kaufman
3. Amphibian, by Carla Gunn
4. Angry Young Spaceman, by Jim Munroe
   
5. The Big Why, by Michael Winter
6. The Culprits, by Robert Hough
7. Entitlement, by Jonathan Bennett
8. From the Notebooks of Dr. Brain, by Minister Faust
   
9. The Incident Report, by Martha Baillie
10. Inside, by Kenneth J. Harvey
    
11. ManBug, by George K. Ilsley
12. The Mysterium, by Eric McCormack
    
13. Planet Reese, by Cordelia Strube
14. Shining at the Bottom of the Sea, by Stephen Marche
    
15. Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town, by Cory Doctorow

So, anyone have anything to add? What novel would you like to see represented?

Who will win Canada Reads?

Well, the results of my highly scientific poll are in:

Who Should Win This Year's Canada Reads?

The Book of Negroes, by Lawrence Hill - 29.17% (7 votes)

The Fat Woman Next Door is Pregnant, by Michel Tremblay - 4.17% (1 vote)

Fruit, by Brian Francis - 37.50% (9 votes)

Mercy Among the Children, by David Adams Richards - 20.83% (5 votes)

The Outlander, by Gill Adamson - 8.33% (2 votes)

WHOO! It's a sweep for Fruit! Congratulations, Brian Francis! Pick up your gift bag at the door!

The serious i.e. the real Canada Reads event begins tomorrow, Monday, March 2 on CBC Radio One at 11:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. (2 and 8 p.m. NT). Tune in to root for your favourite.

Go, Fruit!

But The Book of Negroes will win. Believe me, I work in a public library, and The Book of Negroes is the only novel anyone is reading.

Sure, Canada Reads, but who does Corey read? Enquiring minds yearn to know!

Whoo! Canada Reads! Whoo!

Yes, it's that time of year again, when the country (or those in the country who read) joins in the communal bookclub that is Canada Reads. Five books enter the radio arena, one book leaves. And this year, after much thought, I have decided to throw my considerable literary heft (I've been eating a lot of pasta lately) behind:

Fruit, by Brian Francis!

Now, full disclosure: I have not yet read all the nominees. In fact, Fruit is the only novel I've read so far. But let's take a look at the other contestants:

The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill - Critically acclaimed. Best seller. Winner of the 2008 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize Overall Best Book Award, as well as the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize. Doesn't need the help.

The Outlander by Gil Adamson - Critically acclaimed debut novel. Published in many countries. Winner of the American Hammett Prize for Crime-Writing, the ReLit Award for best novel, and the Amazon.ca/Books in Canada First Novel Award. Again, has had more than its fair share of the literary pie.

The Fat Woman Next Door is Pregnant by Michel Tremblay - Ok, great title. But Tremblay is an icon in the Canadian arts community, and has won the Governor General's Performing Arts Award. He ain't suffering for plaudits.

Mercy Among the Children by David Adams Richards - Co-winner of the Scotiabank Giller Prize in 2000. Won the Canadian Booksellers Association award for author of the year and fiction book of the year. Adams is a fixture on any list of modern Canadian literary heavywieghts.

My point is, Canada Reads is a chance to unearth some real Canadian gems, and in the past has brought my attention to some novels often overlooked. But this year? Safe choices. Too safe, too cozy. Why nominate these novels? Yes, they are all of fine quality, but let's bring someone new out into the spotlight. There's always a few titans represented every year, but- and not to take anything away from these authors - it takes no brains to promote something from Margaret Atwood, whereas it takes a little bit more thought to push a Paul Hiebert or a Jacques Poulin.

Brian Francis is the true underdog in this contest, and on that basis alone is worth rooting for. But Fruit is such a wonderfully strange coming-of-age novel, such a beautifully weird story, that I can't help but be a booster for the cause. Fruit was one of the reasons I contacted ECW Press with my manuscript; if they'll publish a novel about a sexually-confused young boy who talks to his nipples, they've probably got a pretty good sense of humour.

Fruit (published in the U.S. as The Secret Fruit of Peter Paddington) is Paddington's tale of exquisitely slow (and funny) self-awareness. At the start, Peter is overweight, lonely, and prone to flights of fancy rather than mingle with others his own age. As his life continues, Peter begins to learn, if not understand, that he might not be an ideal fit for the life his parents want for him. His talking nipples are only the start of his problems.

Like all the great tales of the slow ascent from youth to maturity, Fruit is really about the craving for acceptance, whether it be from ones parents, peers, or oneself. What separates Fruit from the pack is it's love of absurdity and unabashed embrace of Peter's strange, hyper-realistic fantasies. Francis takes a few chances with Fruit, chances that, in the hands of a less-assured writer, might have come across as pretentious rather than charming. There's no question Peter can be somewhat off-putting, but Francis avoids easy condescension and instead makes Peter an achingly real and confused adolescent.

Fruit is the Canada Reads dark horse, I fear, for a simple reason; it's funny. God, is it funny.(I'd love to give you a few quotations as examples, but due to my new basement being a labyrinth of cardboard boxes, my copy of Fruit is nowhere to be found.) But CanLit isn't supposed to be funny, it's supposed to be dark and gloomy, with a historical bent if all goes to plan. But Canadians are funny. Why can't our celebrated literature be funny as well? So this year, Canada Reads, please vote for Fruit, the funniest novel ever to grace your lists of nominees.

*Another disclosure: I had learned a few weeks previous to the announcement of this year's picks that an ECW book was a contender, but I could not ascertain the actual title. Given that ECW is a relatively small publisher, I put my odds of being the selection at one chance in twenty. So damn close.