The 2019 Giller in my opinion

Hello!

I recently attended a lovely Giller party at the Empress where we listened to local celebrities defend their title, then watched the award show from Toronto.   I had my fingers crossed for The Innocents, but could have rejoiced if David Bezmozgis or Stephen Price had won.  Bezmozgis has been writing fabulous short stories and novels for many years, mostly from an Eastern European immigrant perspective. Stephen Price's Lampedusa is a beautiful book based on a real person who is writing a novel called The Leopard at the end of his life. The winner was Ian Williams, who I am sure is a wonderful person who deserves all success.  I started his book, Reproduction, with high hopes.  It's about  19 year old Felicia and a much older Edgar who meet in a hospital room to watch over their dying mothers.  One lives and one dies, and Felicia gives up her education to live with Edgar and take care of his mother.  So far so good!  interesting, readable.  However, the novel goes on and on and on and I just couldn't stay interested unto the third generation.  I believe this book could have benefited from being shorter by 100 pages, or maybe 150.  It's a first novel, which may be the issue, as sometimes first novelists throw everything into their books, making them too long.  I also became tired of the experimental writing, especially in the last 100 pages.  Oh well, I wish Ian Williams a very good second novel!  I will understand if you disagree and tell me how passionately you love this book.  Fiction can be very subjective.  Here is a photo from Stewart in Northern BC for you.