'Laughter is medicine': Brian Thomas Isaac reflects the healing power of writing fiction
CBC Books | | Posted: January 18, 2022 6:38 PM | Last Updated: November 8, 2022
All the Quiet Places is a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award for fiction
Brian Thomas Isaac is a writer from the Okanagan Indian Reserve in British Columbia. He's worked in oil fields, as a bricklayer and had a short career riding bulls in local rodeos.
All the Quiet Places follows a young boy named Eddie Toma, who lives on the Okanagan Indian Reserve with his little brother Lewis and his mother Grace. One summer, he tags along with his mother and her friends to work as farm labourers in Washington. After tragedy strikes, Eddie is left grief-stricken, confused and lonely. As he grows up, his life is governed by the decisions of the adults around him and the effects of guilt, grief and colonialism continue to pile up.
All the Quiet Places is a finalist for the 2022 Governor General's Literary Award for fiction. The winner will be announced on Nov. 16, 2022.
Isaac spoke with CBC Books about writing his debut novel.
Up close and personal
"What I really wanted to do with the book was write in such a way that the reader is introduced to the main character, Eddie, and sees the world through his eyes. This is a boy who isn't aware of his place in the world yet and doesn't realize that he and his family are poor and marginalized.
Hopefully, it becomes a bit of a personal journey.
"Not yet, anyway. And as he goes through his life, the reader is tagging along beside him so they can hear what he hears, see what he sees and smell what he smells. Hopefully, it becomes a bit of a personal journey."
The gap between cultures
"There is a big difference between most First Nations and non-First Nations people's attitudes that have been formed by their life experiences. The general feedback I got from a few non-First Nations readers was that this was a sad book. I think this is because they haven't read anything like this before. I don't think some were prepared for it. But when Richard Van Camp spoke about the book, he said it was filled with hilarity, wisdom, wit and sarcasm. This book is also about joy, love, hope and survival. My first thought was that I didn't get my point across.
"Laughter is medicine to me. It gives relief to uncomfortable situations. For example, two non-First Nations friends are walking down the street when one trips over a crack in the sidewalk and falls. 'Oh, are you OK?' is the concerted reaction of the friend. But what happens to two First Nations people? The instant reaction is knee-slapping laughter. It's a totally different reaction. It's how we cope. Not everybody, but a lot of people that I grew up with react this way.
Laughter is medicine to me. It gives relief to uncomfortable situations.
"I hope I'm not generalizing here. I don't mean to do that. Maybe the gap between cultures isn't as deep as I think it is.
"But if this book could help some non-First Nations people understand just a little bit, it kind of turned out the way I hoped it would."
LISTEN | Brian Thomas Isaac on Radio West:
When dreams become reality
"I've been writing this book since 2003. I've even taken a year or two off between that time. But all that time we were writing, my wife was my editor and we would joke about all the awards ceremonies. 'What are you going to wear to the Giller Prize? Wouldn't Canada Reads be great?' But it was a dream.
I've been writing this book since 2003. I've even taken a year or two off between that time.
"I'm just surprised, shocked, everything at the reaction. I just really can't believe it's happening. It's as if I'm looking down on somebody else.
"To read [endorsements] by my fellow Canadian writers — such as Gil Adamson — all these great writers, it's really very humbling.I'm very proud of the book. I'm very proud of the hard work that went into it. But I am really shocked, sometimes speechless.
"My wife is bouncing up and down, but I'm glued to my chair. Then it hits me a little bit later. It really doesn't happen to me right away; I don't know why that is. I think it's how I was raised."
Brian Thomas Isaac's comments have been edited for length and clarity.