Just Pretending

From one of Canada's most exciting new Mtisvoicescomes a book whose recurring themes includethe complexities of identity, belonging/not belonging,Aboriginal adoption, loss and abandonment, regret and insecurity.

A deadbeat dad tries to reconnect with his daughter after 22 yearsaway. A selfish poet has been scarred by an upbringing that leaves himemotionally distant from his children and spouse. A pot-smokingmiddle-aged man undertakes a modest quest for meaning following abrush with mortality. A fourteen-year-old girl struggles to come toterms with her feelings of abandonment.

• Lisa Bird-Wilson on the role of art in reconciliation

The characters are often fragile, sometimes unlikeable, but ultimatelycan be identified or sympathized with. At the centre of the stories are notions of identity and belonging, and the complex relationships between children and parents, both those who are real and those who are just pretending. (From Coteau Books)