Q

Russell Smith on the secrets we shouldn't share with anyone

Canadian author Russell Smith is back with Confidence, a new collection of stories about the secrets of the aging downtown Toronto elite.
Russell Smith writes about the sordid, drug-fuelled lives of the Toronto elite with the precision of a self-aware insider. (Biblioasis)

Everybody is hiding something, says Canadian author Russell Smith. Some secrets are enormous, others just embarrassing — and far too many are a threat to long-term, committed relationships. 

For 20 years, the writer has been known for sharp and funny stories about the sex lives and naughty habits of the city's upper crust. His latest, Confidence, zeroes in on the private lives of the aging downtown Toronto elite. 

Smith joins Shad to talk shame, secrecy and his own missteps. 

"People want everything at once. They want their domestic life, and they also want their wild life," he says. 

q: Do you harbour a secret that's easier to keep than to share? Do you agree with Smith that everyone — even the open books among us — have hidden chapters?