Amazon.ca First Novel Award

The Amazon.ca First Novel Award, formerly the Books in Canada First Novel Award, is a Canadian literary award, co-presented by Amazon.ca and The Walrus to the best first novel in English published the previous year by a citizen or resident of Canada.^[1] It has been awarded since 1976.^[1]

The First Novel Award was founded by the literary magazine Books in Canada.^[1] Between 1976 and 1994, the award was sponsored by SmithBooks. During this period, the award was known as the SmithBooks/Books in Canada First Novel Award.^[1] When SmithBooks was acquired by Chapters, it became the Chapters/Books in Canada First Novel Award.^[1]

The award was reorganized when Books in Canada was acquired by Adrian and Olga Stein in 1995. The Steins retained a first novel editor, introduced a comprehensive first novel review program, and formalized the adjudication process.

The award was taken over by Amazon.com in 2009 and its name was changed to the current incarnation. The Amazon.com arrangement saw the prize award initially doubled to $10,000, and then increased to its current amount of $40,000, with shortlisted finalists each receiving over $6,000.

Winners and nominees[]

At different times in its history, the award has been presented early in the year for works published in the preceding year, late in the year for works published in the same year as the presentation, or mid-year for an eligibility period that straddled parts of both years. For clarity, the list below is organized by the year of presentation rather than the year of publication eligibility.

Year	Winner	Nominated
1977	Ian McLachlan, The Seventh Hexagram[2] Michael Ondaatje, Coming Through Slaughter[2]	, Eileen McCullough , 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
1978	Oonah McFee, Sandbars[3]	, Sidehill Gouger Pauline Gedge, Child of the Morning Jack Hodgins, The Invention of the World M. T. Kelly, I Do Remember the Fall , A Small Informal Dance Morley Torgov, The Abramsky Variations
1979	Joan Barfoot, Abra[1]	, The Double-Cross Circuit Clive Doucet, Disneyland, Please , Parade on an Empty Street Kevin Major, Hold Fast Frank Paci, The Italians
1980	Clark Blaise, Lunar Attractions[4]	, Mrs. Job Stan Dragland, Peckertracks , A Man Without Passion Shirley Faessler, Everything in the Window Katherine Govier, Random Descent Betty Lambert, Crossings
1981	W.D. Valgardson, Gentle Sinners[4]	Martyn Burke, Laughing War Susan Musgrave, The Charcoal Burners Graham Petrie, Seahorse Leon Rooke, Fat Woman
1982	Joy Kogawa, Obasan[1]	, Streethearts George Jonas, Final Decree Edward O. Phillips, Sunday's Child Gary Ross, Always Tip the Dealer
1983	W.P. Kinsella, Shoeless Joe[5]	, Coming for to Carry , Preparing for Sabbath , Blue , The Bee Book
1984	Heather Robertson, Willie: A Romance[4]	, Tolerable Levels of Violence Susan Swan, The Biggest Modern Woman in the World George Szanto, Not Working Wayne Tefs, Figures on a Wharf
1985	Geoffrey Ursell, Perdue, or How the West Was Lost[6]	Sharon Butala, Country of the Heart Douglas Glover, Precious John Gray, Dazzled , I Hear the Reaper's Song Armin Wiebe, The Salvation of Yasch Siemens
1986	Wayne Johnston, The Story of Bobby O'Malley[7]	, A Nest of Singing Birds Ann Ireland, A Certain Mr. Takahashi , Master and Maid , Wales' Work
1987	Karen Lawrence, The Life of Helen Alone[8]	, Downfall People , Momentum David Gilmour, Back on Tuesday Paulette Jiles, The Late Great Human Road Show
1988	Marion Quednau, The Butterfly Chair[9]	, Fire Eyes , Squatters' Island Pauline Holdstock, The Blackbird's Song , Selakhi
1989	Rick Salutin, A Man of Little Faith[10]	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
1990	Sandra Birdsell, The Missing Child[11]	Marilyn Bowering, To All Appearances a Lady Barry Callaghan, The Way the Angel Spread Her Wings , Madeleine and the Angel Kristjana Gunnars, The Prowler Kenneth Radu, Distant Relations
1991	Nino Ricci, Lives of the Saints[12]	Gail Bowen, Deadly Appearances , The Dark Jewels Glen Huser, Grace Lake Margot Livesey, Homework , Sniper's Moon
1992	Rohinton Mistry, Such a Long Journey[13]	Douglas Coupland, Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture , Woyzeck's Head Michael Kenyon, Kleinberg Alberto Manguel, News From a Foreign Country Came
1993	John Steffler, The Afterlife of George Cartwright[14]	Douglas Anthony Cooper, Amnesia Carole Corbeil, Voice-Over Kenneth J. Harvey, Brud Greg Hollingshead, Spin Dry
1994	Deborah Joy Corey, Losing Eddie[15]	Catherine Bush, Minus Time Don Dickinson, The Crew Douglas How, Blow Up the Trumpet in the New Moon , If I Knew I'd Tell You
1995	Shyam Selvadurai, Funny Boy[16]	Charles Foran, Kitchen Music Diane Schoemperlen, In the Language of Love Russell Smith, How Insensitive Cordelia Strube, Alex & Zee
1996	Keath Fraser, Popular Anatomy[17]	Diana Atkinson, Highways and Dancehalls Wayson Choy, The Jade Peony Larissa Lai, When Fox Is a Thousand Yan Li, Daughters of the Red Land
1997	Anne Michaels, Fugitive Pieces[18]	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
1998	Margaret Gibson, Opium Dreams[19]	Kim Echlin, Elephant Winter Allan Levine, The Blood Libel Rabindranath Maharaj, Homer in Flight Tim Wynveen, Angel Falls
1999	André Alexis, Childhood[20]	, The Handless Maiden Tomson Highway, Kiss of the Fur Queen Terry Jordan, Beneath That Starry Place Kerri Sakamoto, The Electrical Field
2000	David Macfarlane, Summer Gone[21] Alan R. Wilson, Before the Flood[21]	Alistair MacLeod, No Great Mischief Donna Morrissey, Kit's Law Jim Munroe, Flyboy Action Figure Comes with Gasmask , A Fine Daughter
2001	Eva Stachniak, Necessary Lies[22]	Steven Galloway, Finnie Walsh , The Dominion of Wyley McFadden Susan Juby, Alice, I Think Lydia Kwa, This Place Called Absence
2002	Michael Redhill, Martin Sloane[23]	Dennis Bock, The Ash Garden Michael Crummey, River Thieves Marina Endicott, Open Arms Linda Little, Strong Hollow Elizabeth Ruth, Ten Good Seconds of Silence
2003	Mary Lawson, Crow Lake[24]	Christy Ann Conlin, Heave Aislinn Hunter, Stay , The Beautiful Dead End Michael V. Smith, Cumberland Marnie Woodrow, Spelling Mississippi
2004	Michel Basilières, Black Bird[25]	, The Expedition John Bemrose, The Island Walkers , Kalyna's Song , Blue Becomes You Edeet Ravel, Ten Thousand Lovers
2005	Colin McAdam, Some Great Thing[26]	, Sunday Afternoon Ibi Kaslik, Skinny Arthur Motyer, What's Remembered , Bishop's Road
2006	Joseph Boyden, Three Day Road[27]	, The City Man , Gotta Find Me an Angel Anne Giardini, The Sad Truth About Happiness Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer, The Nettle Spinner , The Rent Collector
2007	Madeleine Thien, Certainty[28]	Peter Behrens, The Law of Dreams , The Uninvited Guest Annette Lapointe, Stolen Heather O'Neill, Lullabies for Little Criminals Adam Lewis Schroeder, Empress of Asia
2008	Gil Adamson, The Outlander[29]	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
2009	Joan Thomas, Reading by Lightning[30]	Michael Blouin, Chase & Haven Claudia Dey, Stunt Patrick Lane, Red Dog, Red Dog Mary Swan, The Boys in the Trees
2010	Jessica Grant, Come, Thou Tortoise[31]	, No Place Strange Annabel Lyon, The Golden Mean , Goya's Dog Dragan Todorović, Diary of Interrupted Days , Daniel O'Thunder
2011	Eleanor Catton, The Rehearsal[1]	Shaughnessy Bishop-Stall, Ghosted Miguel Syjuco, Ilustrado Kathleen Winter, Annabel Dianne Warren, Cool Water
2012	David Bezmozgis, The Free World[32]	Fraser Nixon, The Man Who Killed Sina Queyras, Autobiography of Childhood Olive Senior, Dancing Lessons Alexi Zentner, Touch
2013	Anakana Schofield, Malarky[1]	Marjorie Celona, Y , The Rest Is Silence Pasha Malla, People Park Kim Thúy, Ru
2014	Wayne Grady, Emancipation Day[33]	Kenneth Bonert, The Lion Seeker Krista Bridge, The Eliot Girls , Juanita Wildrose: My True Life D. W. Wilson, Ballistics
2015	Alix Hawley, All True Not a Lie in It[34]	Emma Hooper, Etta and Otto and Russell and James Sean Michaels, Us Conductors Guillaume Morissette, New Tab , Pedal
2016	Mona Awad, 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl[35]	Karim Alrawi, Book of Sands , Do You Think This Is Strange? , Seep Judith McCormack, Backspring , The Afterlife of Birds
2017	Katherena Vermette, The Break[36]	, White Elephant Kaie Kellough, Accordéon Rebecca Rosenblum, So Much Love Yasuko Thanh, Mysterious Fragrance of the Yellow Mountains
2018	Michael Kaan, The Water Beetles[37]	Sharon Bala, The Boat People David Demchuk, The Bone Mother Omar El Akkad, American War Rachel Manley, The Black Peacock Alison Watt, Dazzle Patterns
2019	Casey Plett, Little Fish[38]	Liz Harmer, The Amateurs Tyler Hellard, Searching for Terry Punchout Tanya Tagaq, Split Tooth Joshua Whitehead, Jonny Appleseed Ian Williams, Reproduction
2020	Stéphane Larue, The Dishwasher[39]	Nancy Jo Cullen, The Western Alienation Merit Badge James Gregor, Going Dutch , Mooncalves Nazanine Hozar, Aria , When We Were Vikings
2020	Michelle Good, Five Little Indians[40]	Francesca Ekwuyasi, Butter Honey Pig Bread , Happy Hour Sheung-King, You Are Eating an Orange. You Are Naked. Jael Richardson, Gutter Child John Elizabeth Stintzi, Vanishing Monuments

References[]

External links[]

• First Novel Award at Amazon.ca