The Books in Canada First Novel Award is a literary award given annually to the best first novel in English published the previous year by a citizen or resident of Canada. It has been awarded since 1976.
The Books in Canada First Novel Award has a tumultuous history. It was founded by the literary magazine Books in Canada but when money ran short the award was managed by Smithbooks and became the "Smithbooks/Books in Canada First Novel Award". When Smithbooks was acquired by Chapters Books Inc., it became the "Chapters/Books in Canada First Novel Award". In 1999 the magazine decided to end its affiliation with Chapters. It is now officially the "Amazon.ca/Books in Canada First Novel Award".
Winners and nominees
1976
The 1976 award was a tie.
- Ian McLachlan, The Seventh Hexagram
- Michael Ondaatje, Coming Through Slaughter
- Alice Boissoneau, Eileen McCullough
- David Kellum, The Falling World of Tristram Pocket
- Susan Kerslake, Middlewatch
- Sharon Riis, The True Story of Ida Johnson
- Carol Shields, Small Ceremonies
- Mary Soderstrom, The Descent of Andrew McPherson
1977
- Oonah McFee, Sandbars
- Shane Dennison, Sidehill Gouger
- Pauline Gedge, Child of the Morning
- Jack Hodgins, The Invention of the World
- M.T. Kelly, I Do Remember the Fall
- Helen Levi, A Small Informal Dance
- Morley Torgov, The Abramsky Variations
1978
- Joan Barfoot, Abra
- Michael Dorland, The Double-Cross Circuit
- Clive Doucet, Disneyland, Please
- Margaret Drury Gane, Parade on an Empty Street
- Kevin Major, Hold Fast
- Frank Paci, The Italians
1979
- Clark Blaise, Lunar Attractions
- Victoria Branden, Mrs. Job
- Stan Dragland, Peckertracks
- Florence Evans, A Man Without Passion
- Shirley Faessler, Everything in the Window
- Katherine Govier, Random Descent
- Betty Lambert, Crossings
1980
- W.D. Valgardson, Gentle Sinners
- Martyn Burke, Laughing War
- Susan Musgrave, The Charcoal Burners
- Graham Petrie, Seahorse
- Leon Rooke, Fat Woman
1981
- Joy Kogawa, Obasan
- Jim Christy, Streethearts
- George Jonas, Final Decree
- Edward O. Phillips, Sunday's Child
- Gary Ross, Always Tip the Dealer
1982
- W.P. Kinsella, Shoeless Joe
- Lorris Elliott, Coming for to Carry
- Nessa Rapoport, Preparing for Sabbath
- Geraldine Rahmani, Blue
- Ann Rosenberg, The Bee Book
1983
- Heather Robertson, Willie: A Romance
- Robert G. Collins, Tolerable Levels of Violence
- Susan Swan, The Biggest Modern Woman in the World
- George Szanto, Not Working
- Wayne Tefs, Figures on a Wharf
1984
- Geoffrey Ursell, Perdue, or How the West Was Lost
- Sharon Butala, Country of the Heart
- Douglas Glover, Precious
- John Gray, Dazzled
- Sara Stambaugh, I Hear the Reaper's Song
- Armin Wiebe, The Salvation of Yasch Siemens
1985
- Wayne Johnston, The Story of Bobby O'Malley
- Susan Charlotte Haley, A Nest of Singing Birds
- Ann Ireland, A Certain Mr. Takahashi
- Frank Jones, Master and Maid
- Robert Walshe, Wales' Work
1986
- Karen Lawrence, The Life of Helen Alone
- Jo Anne Williams Bennett, Downfall People
- Marc Diamond, Momentum
- David Gilmour, Back on Tuesday
- Paulette Jiles, The Late Great Human Road Show
1987
- Marion Quednau, The Butterfly Chair
- D.F. Bailey, Fire Eyes
- W.D. Barcus, Squatters' Island
- Pauline Holdstock, The Blackbird's Song
- Seán Virgo, Selakhi
1988
- Rick Salutin, A Man of Little Faith
- Neil Bissoondath, A Casual Brutality
- Joan Clark, The Victory of Geraldine Gull
- David Homel, Electrical Storms
- Janice Kulyk Keefer, Constellations
- Helen Fogwill Porter, January, February, June or July
1989
- Sandra Birdsell, The Missing Child
- Marilyn Bowering, To All Appearances a Lady
- Barry Callaghan, The Way the Angel Spread Her Wings
- Jacqueline Dumas, Madeleine and the Angel
- Kristjana Gunnars, The Prowler
- Kenneth Radu, Distant Relations
1990
- Nino Ricci, Lives of the Saints
- Gail Bowen, Deadly Appearances
- Rita Donovan, The Dark Jewels
- Glen Huser, Grace Lake
- Margot Livesey, Homework
- Carsten Stroud, Sniper's Moon
1991
- Rohinton Mistry, Such a Long Journey
- Douglas Coupland, Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture
- Ekbert Faas, Woyzeck's Head
- Michael Kenyon, Kleinberg
- Alberto Manguel, News From a Foreign Country Came
1992
- John Steffler, The Afterlife of George Cartwright
- Douglas Cooper, Amnesia
- Carole Corbeil, Voice-Over
- Kenneth J. Harvey, Brud
- Greg Hollingshead, Spin Dry
1993
- Deborah Joy Corey, Losing Eddie
- Catherine Bush, Minus Time
- Don Dickinson, The Crew
- Douglas How, Blow Up the Trumpet in the New Moon
- Carol Malyon, If I Knew I'd Tell You
1994
- Shyam Selvadurai, Funny Boy
- Charles Foran, Kitchen Music
- Diane Schoemperlen, In the Language of Love
- Russell Smith, How Insensitive
- Cordelia Strube, Alex & Zee
1995
- Keath Fraser, Popular Anatomy
- Diana Atkinson, Highways and Dancehalls
- Wayson Choy, The Jade Peony
- Larissa Lai, When Fox Is a Thousand
- Yan Li, Daughters of the Red Land
1996
- Anne Michaels, Fugitive Pieces
- Gail Anderson-Dargatz, The Cure for Death by Lightning
- Ann-Marie MacDonald, Fall on Your Knees
- Yann Martel, Self
- Shani Mootoo, Cereus Blooms at Night
1997
- Margaret Gibson, Opium Dreams
- Kim Echlin, Elephant Winter
- Allan Levine, The Blood Libel
- Rabindranath Maharaj, Homer in Flight
- Tim Wynveen, Angel Falls
1998
- André Alexis, Childhood
- Loranne Brown, The Handless Maiden
- Tomson Highway, Kiss of the Fur Queen
- Terry Jordan, Beneath That Starry Place
- Kerri Sakamoto, The Electrical Field
1999
The 1999 award was a tie.
- David Macfarlane, Summer Gone
- Alan R. Wilson, Before the Flood
- Alistair MacLeod, No Great Mischief
- Donna Morrissey, Kit's Law
- Jim Munroe, Flyboy Action Figure Comes with Gasmask
- Catherine Simmons-Niven, A Fine Daughter
2000
- Eva Stachniak, Necessary Lies
- Steven Galloway, Finnie Walsh
- Scott Gardiner, The Dominion of Wyley McFadden
- Susan Juby, Alice, I Think
- Lydia Kwa, This Place Called Absence
2001
- Michael Redhill, Martin Sloane
- Dennis Bock, The Ash Garden
- Michael Crummey, River Thieves
- Marina Endicott, Open Arms
- Linda Little, Strong Hollow
- Elizabeth Ruth, Ten Good Seconds of Silence
2002
- Mary Lawson, Crow Lake
- Christy Ann Conlin, Heave
- Aislinn Hunter, Stay
- Clint Hutzulak, The Beautiful Dead End
- Michael V. Smith, Cumberland
- Marnie Woodrow, Spelling Mississippi
2003
- Michel Basilières, Black Bird
- Clayton Bailey, The Expedition
- John Bemrose, The Island Walkers
- Lisa Grekul, Kalyna's Song
- Bettina von Kampen, Blue Becomes You
- Edeet Ravel, Ten Thousand Lovers
2004
- Colin McAdam, Some Great Thing
- David Elias, Sunday Afternoon
- Ibi Kaslik, Skinny
- Arthur Motyer, What's Remembered
- Catherine Safer, Bishop's Road
2005
- Joseph Boyden, Three Day Road
- Howard Akler, The City Man
- Brenda Brooks, Gotta Find Me an Angel
- Anne Giardini, The Sad Truth About Happiness
- Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer, The Nettle Spinner
- B. Glen Rotchin, The Rent Collector
2006
- Madeleine Thien, Certainty
- Peter Behrens, The Law of Dreams
- John Degen, The Uninvited Guest
- Annette Lapointe, Stolen
- Heather O'Neill, Lullabies for Little Criminals
- Adam Lewis Schroeder, Empress of Asia
2007
- Gil Adamson, The Outlander
- David Chariandy, Soucouyant
- Kyo Maclear, The Letter Opener
- C.S. Richardson, The End of the Alphabet
- Brian Tucker, Big White Knuckles
- Andrew Wedderburn, The Milk Chicken Bomb
2008
- Joan Thomas, Reading by Lightning
- Mike Blouin, Chase & Haven
- Claudia Dey, Stunt
- Patrick Lane, Red Dog, Red Dog
- Mary Swan, The Boys in the Trees
External links
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