Ellen in Pieces
CBC Books | CBC | Posted: March 15, 2017 4:38 PM | Last Updated: June 23, 2017
Caroline Adderson
Ellen McGuinty is middle-aged, mouthy, charming and unforgettable. When she sells her family's home and takes a lover 20 years her junior, the lives of her friends and family become entangled in surprising ways. With its spellbinding and complex structure, this novel shows off the formidable talents of Caroline Adderson — a three-time CBC Literary Prize winner (1988, 1991, 2004).
Ellen in Pieces takes on questions of life, love, commitment and regret with uncompromising humour and intelligence.
From the book
"That was as much as Ellen could get out of Yolanda as she hovered above her in the bathroom, holding back her golden hair while she retched.
'Maybe you should stay home,' Ellen said.
Yolanda lifted her face out of the toilet. Pink with misery, she let Ellen apply a cool, damp cloth. 'I can't skip Inorganic Chemistry, Mom. It's unbelievably hard.'
'Fine, then. Just don't spread it all over campus.'
Later, Ellen wondered how she could have been so dense."
From Ellen in Pieces by Caroline Adderson ©2014. Published by HarperCollins Canada.