Bookends with Mattea Roach

The Canadian graphic novelist talks with Mattea Roach about life with their late partner, who had an assisted death, and using art to confront grief in Something, Not Nothing

Nalo Hopkinson’s latest work, Blackheart Man, is a dynamic sci-fi story that took 15 years to complete. The novel takes readers to the fantastical land of Chynchin, which was inspired by Afro-Caribbean histories and traditions. Nalo joins Mattea Roach to discuss the folktale-inspired world her characters live in, and the process of crafting a utopian novel while battling financial insecurity and chronic illness.

The novel Peggy fictionalizes the life of art collector Peggy Guggenheim and is Rebecca Godfrey's final project. Rebecca worked on Peggy for ten years before she died from lung cancer, leaving behind an unfinished manuscript and notes. Her close friend, writer Leslie Jamison, stepped in to fulfill Rebecca’s wishes and complete the book. Leslie talks to Mattea Roach about bringing Peggy's story to life and honouring her friend's legacy.

In the graphic memoir All Our Ordinary Stories, Teresa Wong uses spare black-and-white illustrations and thought-provoking prose to unpack how intergenerational trauma and resilience can shape our identities. Teresa and Mattea Roach discuss the art of cartooning and the intricate, often challenging journey of piecing together family history.

When Paula Hawkins dropped her pen name and switched from writing romantic comedies to thrillers, she wrote The Girl on the Train. Now she has a new book called The Blue Hour. It follows a reclusive painter named Vanessa Chapman and reflects on themes of power and legacy. Paula and Mattea Roach talk about the motivations and inspiration behind the women at the centre of her stories. 

In Anne Fleming's new novel, Curiosities, an amateur historian becomes fascinated by the lives of two girls from 1600s England. But as she pieces their stories together, the very nature of truth itself comes into question. Curiosities is a finalist for the 2024 Giller Prize. Anne and Mattea Roach discuss the pull of the 17th century and the exploration of gender and identity at the heart of the novel.

When Montreal author Eric Chacour wrote his first book, he didn't expect it to become a huge hit in France. Translated from French to English by Pablo Strauss, What I Know About You is a novel set in Cairo and Montreal, exploring sexuality as well as family secrets and pressures. It's nominated for this year's Giller Prize and Atwood Gibson Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize. Eric and Mattea Roach discuss the inspiration behind his debut novel. 

In Rachel Kushner’s latest novel, Creation Lake, an undercover agent is tasked with sabotaging a group of young activists in rural France. Rachel joins Mattea Roach to talk about blending a spy premise with meditations on life’s big questions, putting an anti-hero at the centre of her story and why writing this novel was a transcendent experience. Creation Lake is a finalist for the 2024 Booker Prize.

When Alan Hollinghurst's novel The Line of Beauty won the Booker Prize in 2004, it was the first time a book about the gay experience won the award. Now his newest novel, Our Evenings, puts a biracial boy who’s discovering queer culture for the first time at the front and centre. Alan and Mattea Roach discuss how growing up gay in Britain inspires his writing.

Fawn Parker's latest book centres on a woman navigating life immediately following the death of her mother. The novel is a finalist for this year’s Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize. Fawn and Mattea Roach talk about grief, loss and the real-life inspiration behind Hi, It's Me.