The Sentimentalists

Description

The Giller prize-winning novel- an astonishing debut from a major new discovery Haunted by the horrific events he witnessed during the Vietnam War, Napoleon Haskell is exhausted from years spent battling his memories. As his health ultimately declines, his two daughters move him from his trailer in North Dakota to Casablanca, Ontario, to live with the father of a friend who was killed in action. It is to Casablanca, on the shores of a man-made lake beneath which lie the remains of the former town, that Napoleon's youngest daughter also retreats when her own life comes unhinged. Living with the two old men, she finds her father in the twilight of his life and rapidly slipping into senility. With love and insatiable curiosity, she devotes herself to learning the truth about him; and through the fog, Napoleon's past begins to emerge.

Johanna Skibsrud is the author of two poetry collections, Late Nights With Wild Cowboys, which was shortlisted for the Gerald Lampert Award, and I Do Not Think that I Could Love a Human Being. Originally from Meadowville, Nova Scotia, Skibsrud currently lives in Montreal. The Sentimentalists, which won the 2010 Scotiabank Giller Prize, is her first novel.

Remarkable ... will stay with you long after you read the last page. -- Claire Messud Deeply moving ... I was engrossed by the elegant plotting and intelligent writing ... I was, simply, moved to tears -- Patrick Ness * Guardian * Rich, evocative prose reminiscent of Marilynne Robinson ... loaded with emotional resonance. * Observer * Beautiful ... subtle, sharp and truthful * The Times * An outstanding novel ... the emotional power is relentless. A sense of longing courses through the narrative, yet the irony of the title is well served; this is an intelligent, reserved novel, and is all the more moving for the restrained dignity that conveys not only the regrets but also the anger... an allusive, intelligent and solemn work -- Eileen Battersby * Irish Times *