Reading at the cottage is the ultimate escapism. To find out what should be on your reading list this summer, we spoke with Ashley Audrain, the Canadian author of The Push, her chilling debut novel topping international best-seller lists. Here are the books she highly recommends.
Sea Wife by Amity Gaige
Photo by Penguin Random House
“This is a beautiful novel about a couple who set out on a 44-foot sailboat with their two young children, in the hopes of saving their marriage, and themselves. It’s a hugely transporting and moving book that I won’t soon forget, and perfect for a gusty Georgian Bay read.”
Buy it at Indigo.ca.
Gutter Child by Jael Richardson
Photo by Harper Collins
“Set in an imagined world in which the most vulnerable are forced to buy their freedom by working off their debt to society, this is a powerful Canadian debut about a young woman who must find the courage to determine her own future and secure her freedom. This is a great one to share with the young adult readers at your cottage, too.”
Buy it at Indigo.ca.
Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid
Photo by Penguin Random House
“This is one of my favourite novels published recently, a perfect read-in-one-day-on-the-dock book about race and privilege, set around a young black babysitter, her well-intentioned employer, and a surprising connection that threatens to undo them both. You’ll want to pass this along to a friend and talk about it together.”
Buy it at Indigo.ca.
How A Woman Becomes a Lake by Marjorie Celonas
Photo by Penguin Random House
“This novel is told from shifting perspectives and in lyrical prose, about a woman who goes missing in a small fishing town after she takes her dog out for a walk. Just before, she places a call to the police saying she’s found a young boy in the woods. It’s a compelling, thriller-like page-turner that asks, what do you do when the people who are meant to love the most, fail?”
Buy it at Amazon.ca.
Natural Killer by Harriet Alida Lye
Photo by Penguin Random House
“This is a poetic and riveting memoir about Harriet’s diagnosis with a rare form of cancer at just fifteen years old, for which there were no known survivors—until Harriet. Later in her life, she becomes pregnant, despite being told conception would be impossible. This memoir is a fascinating portrait of illness and motherhood, of creating life and making death, and of what it means to want to live. And it’s filled with hope! A remarkable story, perfect for a quiet, introspective read on the porch.”
Buy it at Amazon.ca.
Related Story Here’s what Cottage Life editors can’t live without at the cottage