Donna Morrissey looks back at her Canada Reads journey
The 2023 edition of the great Canadian book debate takes place March 27-30
Back in 2002, a radio program dedicated to uplifting and highlighting Canadian literature launched. Coined a "literary Survivor," Canada Reads has artists, celebrities and prominent Canadians debate books in order to determine which title will be crowned the one book the whole country should read.
The 2023 edition of Canada Reads will take place March 27-30.
The year 2023 marks the 22nd edition of Canada Reads.
Canada Reads premiered in 2002. The first winning book was In the Skin of a Lion by Michael Ondaatje, which was defended by musician Steven Page. In 2021, CBC Books put together a retrospective to look back at the show's biggest moments and its impact on Canadian literature.
LISTEN | Canada Reads celebrates 20 years:
Donna Morrissey is a Canada Reads veteran. The author from Newfoundland defended Frank Parker Day's Rockbound in 2005, and it was the winning book that year. In 2007, Canada Reads was an "all-stars" year, where the five previous winners returned to the debates. This was Morrissey's second appearance on the show, where she defended The Song of Kahunsha by Anosh Irani.
Morrissey has written seven books, including her debut novel Kit's Law and her 2016 novel The Fortunate Brother, which won the 2017 Arthur Ellis Awards for Excellence in Canadian Crime Writing and the 2017 Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award.
Her latest novel, Pluck, is also her first memoir, which takes readers through her experiences with mental illness, family loss and her journey to becoming a writer. The memoir was released in Canada in September.
Morrissey spoke with CBC Books about her new book and her Canada Reads experience.
Why did you decide to write your deeply personal memoir, Pluck?
After writing six novels, and each one of them inspired by life events, I always felt so deeply about my family and what we experienced. But, I could never, ever get a character to carry the story appropriately, and thought, there's always been a buffer between me and the rawness of my story in terms of a fictional character. So I thought I'll try a memoir, and memoirs seem to be popular, and my publisher was all for that, so off we went. I had a huge story to tell.
You're dealing with heavy issues, such as mental illness and death. What was it like re-visiting these experiences when writing your memoir?
It's challenging, because you tend to write too much, and you indulge here and there. And you have to be brutal. I do think it was cathartic when I was writing it, because they are stories that I lived through so many times, through telling them to others. After I got through writing it, it was really difficult being my own character. I didn't have that buffer. It did cut through the bone.
What do you hope people learn from your memoir?
Mental illness is the toughest game out there. It's horrible, and I would hope I can connect with people walking that horrible path who might find some solace or comfort in knowing that there is help — you just have to know where to go. But also loss: we all go through it and sometimes it's just comforting sharing with others. A lot of people also say, "You say what I couldn't say," or, "You're putting words where I couldn't." Sometimes it's great to read what you yourself are feeling.
Tell us about your first time on Canada Reads in 2005. What was it like?
It was pretty exciting for me at the time. I'd only written two novels, I think my third one was just about to be on the scene. It was pretty heady stuff to be on a national radio show with all of these other people and I was quite nervous about it. Quite shy. And of course, excited.
When I first went on the show and even the second time I was there, within that first five years, the show was still finding itself. I remember when a book was voted off we put a black 'X' across the cover. We were pretty dramatic about it. And I think that we got a feeling this wasn't good. As much as I love the show, I kind of regret how I played it when I was on. I focused too much on the competitive edge and that became more important than the books themselves. So I regret that. I wish I hadn't been competitive and was more relaxed and kind, helping to exhibit all of those lovely books.
How did you feel when you won Canada Reads in 2005 defending Frank Parker Day's Rockbound?
I had just read Rockbound that week and I was so taken with the book, it was such an incredible, methodological story. So when I was asked to choose a book, I selected it. And Canada Reads propelled it to the best sellers lists.
It was a little bit of a shock, actually. There was so much controversy around the book that I was defending. It was all about this island back here in Nova Scotia and it had been banned and nobody was allowed to read it in that community. And then when I was told to defend it, there was all of this backlash. We went to the island and we had a talk with some of the people there whose parents were directly involved in that book. And we had a big talk and hashed it all out and became great friends. And then they were all rooting for me to win, and I felt really good in the sense that I had won it for them. It was a great time, for sure.
You were also involved in the "all-star" competition in 2007. How did you feel when you heard they wanted you back on Canada Reads?
I was more subdued. I wasn't so adamant about winning that one. The book I chose, again, I had just read that one and it was being judged for the Governor General's Literary Awards for that year and it was such a sweet and painful novel, and I had never read anything before about the situation portrayed in the book. I was just drawn to it. In all the books I've done for this show, this one sticks with me.
What would you like to see for the future of Canada Reads, and what advice would you give to future contestants?
I'd love to see them do one or two or three of my books, of course, and I just want them to keep going with what they're doing because it's a wonderful show and I love listening to it, and we need that kind of promotion. They're totally on the right track with it. I also recommend going with new people or current novelists and authors.
As for advice, make friends with your book and everybody else's books, because it's about the book and not you.
Donna Morrissey's comments have been edited for length and clarity.