Ellen in Pieces
by Caroline AddersonEllen McGinty: sexy, impulsive, loud-mouthed, chock full of regrets. In middle age she sells the house she raised her daughters in, slips off the shell of her old life, and steps out for a first, tentative foray into real contentment - directly into the path of a man twenty years her junior. Her story explodes into multiple points of view. Through the eyes of her lover, Matt, her ex-husband, Larry, her two daughters (one a former addict), her grandson, and her friends, we watch Ellen negotiate her tumultuous life as the pieces of who she is finally come together.
In its entirety, Ellen in Pieces explores love in its varied forms, the nature of regret (and the possibility of recovery from it), and that greatest human test, mortality. Exquisitely written, absorbing and intelligent, this new novel by Caroline Adderson shows her at the top of her form. Ellen in Pieces is a deeply affecting story, an emotional mirror for all our lives.
Contributors
Caroline Adderson, author
Caroline Adderson is the author of four novels (A History of Forgetting, Sitting Practice, The Sky Is Falling, Ellen in Pieces) and two collections of short stories (Bad Imaginings and Pleased To Meet You), as well as many books for young readers. Her work has received numerous award nominations including for the Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award, the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize (twice), the Governor General’s Literary Award, the Rogers’ Trust Fiction Prize, and the Scotiabank Giller Prize. Winner of three BC Book Prizes and three CBC Literary Prizes, Caroline is also a recipient of the Marian Engel Award for mid-career achievement. She lives in Vancouver.
Reviews
- "Ellen in Pieces" nails it. Life is messy. Like time, it’s unstoppable. It’s a maze that plays tricks on you. It’s family, friends and lovers. The past is in the present, the present is all over the place, the future problematic. It’s a woman’s story and a universal story. - Vancouver Sun Link to review
- It’s ultimately a story about love – the blissful, messy, uplifting, crushing, healing, selfish, and selfless love that holds people together and tears them apart… Teeming with emotion to the last word. (starred) - Quill & Quire Link to review
Awards
- Nominated for the 2015 Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize
Rights Holder
Rights Holder: Westwood Creative Artists
email: meg@wcaltd.com
website: http://www.wcaltd.com/
rights sold: Canada (Patrick Crean - HarperCollins)
rights available: World
Additional Information
number of pages: 336
publication date: 08/19/2014
Original language of pub: English
Materials Available: finished book