September 03, 2010 (07:42 pm)

Summer Reading:
Canadian Style

Summer is the time for relaxation. It's time for sunning by the pool or picnicking in the park. It is also, for many people, a time to catch up on their reading. A time to rummage through the closet to find those books purchased during the winter months in preparation for some enjoyable downtime on summer vacation. Although many already have the books they will read, those procrastinators among us shouldn't be denied joining in the fun and escape a great book will entail.

It is also true that Canada has among the world, some of the greatest authors of the English language. We need not cross our southern border or sail the Atlantic to find books worthy of our attention and interest. We have our own literature to enjoy.

So with this in mind we at Full Spectrum have decided to come up with a list of 10 Canadian novels that should make those lazy days in the backyard or at the local park both enjoyable and memorable. And for those who leave things to the last minute, this list is all you need to get started. Happy reading!

1. The Edible Woman (1970) - Margaret Atwood It is the personal opinion of this writer that The Edible Women should be required reading by all young women of high school age. It tells the story of Marian McAlpin, a woman who decides to throw of convention and the will of others (especially men) to forge a life that she wants. Using food as a catalyst for Marian's rebellion, Atwood weaves a tale that points out to men reading the novel that women are not second class citizens and to women readers it gives them the inspiration to fight.

2. Beautiful Losers (1966) - Leonard Cohen Cohen's hankering for Catholic imagery and sexual abandonment has made him a cult figure across the world with Beautiful Losers being one of the best representatives of this dual inclination. One of the greatest experimental works in Canadian fiction Beautiful Losers centers around three characters and their obsessions with both sexuality and a 17th century Mohawk Saint (named Catherine Tekakwitha).

3. Bear (1976) - Marian Engel A short novel that has at its centre a love affair between a woman and a bear, it was a first in Canadian fiction. Never before was bestiality so casually described for all the world to read. A sexually repressed librarian takes a vacation in the woods and meets up with a bear that ravishes her. Both strange a grotesque, Bear will leave a lasting impression.

4. The Double Hook (1959) - Sheila Watson The novel can be quite dry on the surface but if you love symbolism, then The Double Hook is a book for you. It tells about a murder of a mother by one of her two sons (pushed down a flight of stairs in the family home). What is at its heart though is redemption in the Christian tradition. There are many subplots that further the grim feel of the whole novel but it also has a brightness that shines by the end of the book.

5. Barometer Rising (1941) - Hugh MacLennan Set in Halifax in the middle of WWI, Barometer Rising centers on a young man named Neil Macrae and his quest to clear his name. MacLennan uses the Halifax Explosion of 1917 as a main event in the story and its climax, but it is Macrae that is its center. MacLennan describes Halifax beautifully and informs the reader its significance in the First World War.

6. Lost in the Barrens (1956) - Farley Mowat There is a space in the world for adventure stories, even on the most critical of lists. Robinson Crusoe, Treasure Island, and Alice in Wonderland are a few that are classic favourites of people the world over. You can add Mowat's story about Jamie and Awasin struggling to survive as they trek across northern Canada's barren wilderness in hopes of finding rescue. Lost in the Barrens is Canada's greatest adventure novel and should be read by kids and adults alike.

7. The English Patient (1992) - Michael Ondaatje Winning both the Governor General and the Booker Prize for this amazing work set in WWII Tuscany, Ondaatje cemented himself as one of Canada's greatest modern novelists with this work. Made into a Hollywood movie (don't kid yourself, the book was much better) doesn't detract from its brilliance. Ondaatje is a master story-teller and he brings you some of the most interesting characters in any novel of the last 20 years. Both Kip, a Sikh bomb-disposal expert, and Caravaggio, a sometime-criminal-turned spy, are both unforgettable.

8. The Man from Glengarry (1901) - Ralph Connor Ralph Connor (or Charles William Gordon) wrote this novel for the men who worked the forests and rivers of his home in Glengarry County. It is a novel about strong men building an empire out of the harsh forest of 19th century Ontario. The novel is a glimpse into the world of the lumberjack. Connor transports you back in time and gives you a feel of what it would be like to join those rugged men who built up this country with a fear of God in their heart and a taste of sweat on their lip. You feel your hands getting dirty and your backbone strengthen. You gain a healthy respect for the modern equivalent who grow the food, mine the resources, and construct the buildings of this wide country. It is a great novel at a time when Canada was forming into what it is today.

9. Who Has Seen the Wind (1947) - W.O. Mitchell Mitchell's coming of age novel about a prairie boy (Brian O'Connal) growing up in a small Saskatchewan town (Arcola) during the Depression. Relating themes of life and death and the forces of God represented by the prairie wind, Mitchell has captured the essence of what it is like in the western part of Canada during a time of great hardship and sorrow without it being tragic and melodramatic.

10. The Diviners (1974) - Margaret Laurence The main character, Morag Gunn, a writer and mother to an 18 year old girl (Pique) tries to find meaning in her life through both getting to know her daughter and visiting her memories of significant times in her past. Laurence's characters grab hold of you like very few authors and it is not surprising that many read this book in one sitting.

Article by:
Full Spectrum Staff

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