Jacob McArthur Mooney, "The Northern: A Novel" (ECW Press, 2025)

Jun 2, 2025

Jacob McArthur Mooney, acclaimed author shortlisted for prestigious literary awards, discusses his debut novel, The Northern. He explores a unique coming-of-age story set in 1952, filled with secrets and chaos amid a quirky Mormon baseball card mission. Themes of grief, family, and childhood curiosity feature prominently, alongside reflections of a post-WWII world. Mooney creatively intertwines real historical moments with fiction, shedding light on the emotional complexities of youth and the harsh realities of minor league baseball.

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INSIGHT

The Power of a 12-Year-Old Narrator

Twelve-year-olds have a unique perspective, flickering between child-like naivety and adult-like insight.
This age lets narrators access a wide emotional and intellectual range in storytelling.

ANECDOTE

Chris Locked in Closet Witnessing Trauma

Chris locked in a closet witnesses a traumatic event he cannot explain or share.
His complex mix of fear and fascination changes his view forever without available support.

INSIGHT

Maximalist Ambiguity in Novels

Novels support maximalist ambiguity by layering emotions and thoughts rather than avoiding topics.
This complexity allows readers to wrestle with nuanced trauma and moral ambiguity realistically.

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NBN host Hollay Ghadery speaks with Jacob McArthur Mooney about his debut novel, The Northern, published by ECW Press in 2025.

“The Northern is both a tender-hearted, contemplative coming-of-age novel and adventure-filled road trip story that brings a unique time in sports history to life.” ― Zoe Whittall, author of The Fake and The Best Kind of People

“W.P. Kinsella has company: Jacob Mooney has written another classic Canadian novel about baseball.” ― Ben Lindbergh, co-host of Effectively Wild and author of The MVP Machine and The Only Rule Is It Has to Work

It is the summer of 1952 and three men ― well, one man and two boys ― are on a spiritual and commercial mission. Dispatched from Minnesota to Western Ontario, they have been hired by an upstart Mormon baseball card company to find licensees for their products among the young men filing out Korean War–era rosters in the Northern League, at the bottom-most rung of professional baseball. What the Northern has for them, and the secrets and deceptions they have for each other, will drive their two weeks in Canada into ever-growing chaos.

With a world shaped by the trauma of World War II and the generations of deflated adults and orphaned children left behind by it, The Northern sets out on a clear-eyed and psychologically precise character study taking on grief, fantasy, adolescence, and family. As the narrator for this story of salesmen and ambitious athletes, 12-year-old Chris is a budding acerbic, able to be carried away by the ― often empty ― hopes of others and put his feet in the ground to stop them.

A novel concerned with sports, labor, growing up, and God, The Northern is a funny and heartbreaking book about the series of disappointments that characterize the progress of growing up.

About Jacob McArthur Mooney:

Jacob McArthur Mooney’s work has been shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize and the Trillium Award in Poetry. An MFA graduate from the University of Guelph, he lives in Toronto with his partner, the novelist Alexis von Konigslow, and their son. The Northern is his fifth book and first novel.

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