Having just purchased my ticket to the annual Giller Light Bash, my thoughts are turning to who will win the prestigious honour this year. I’ve only read two books from the six-book shortlist; I’m really excited about both these choices. They are both really strong books that highlight current issues dealt with by women: body image and rape.
13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl is a series of stories about the same woman over her lifetime as she struggles with her weight, but more importantly her self-confidence and ambition that becomes inexorably tied up in how much she weighs.
The Best Kind of People comes from a favourite Toronto author of mine, Zoe Whittall, who creates the story of a family dealing with the aftermath of a beloved father, husband and teacher who’s been charged with rape of three students. The novel presents a rounded view of the issue of rape, and how we as a society distort the issue, treat (or mis-treat) the victims and the accused in such cases. How much do we ever know another person vs project our own desires and motivations on that person?
I’m actually rooting really hard for either of these books to win, if only because they were hugely entertaining, thought-provoking books on my reading list for 2016.
[Read my review of The Best Kind of People | Read my review of 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl]