Five formidable Canadian novels have been named to the 2026 Giller Prize shortlist! 📚 Tara Gereaux for her novel Wild People Quiet, published by Scribner Canada 📚 Michelle Good for her novel Eliza Sunshine, published by Random House Canada 📚 Nicholas Herring for his novel Your Breath in Charcoal, published by Goose Lane Editions 📚 Nazanine Hozar for her novel The Small Ones, published by Knopf Canada 📚 Patmeena Sabit for her novel Good People, published by Crown gillerprize.ca/the-giller-pr… #CravingCanLit #CanLit #canadianliterature

Patmeena Sabit’s novel, GOOD PEOPLE, published by Crown, has been shortlisted for the 2026 #GillerPrize! Jury Citation: A polyphonic, layered, and brilliant debut novel, Patmeena Sabit’s Good People is the story of the familiar, resilient, and stubbornly silent Sharaf family. Instead of telling their own story, it is left to a rotating cast of relatives, neighbours, friends, and even strangers to account for the Sharaf family’s movements and motivations, chronicling the Sharafs’ rise to success from desperate, distrusted refugees to members of the wealthy and exclusive gated community of Fairfax, Virginia. Using these observers to speculate on the pressures and dynamics endured by an immigrant family, Sabit ultimately leaves it to the reader to determine what has brought the Sharaf clan such scrutiny and attention. Are they victims of a tragic accident? Or are they the perpetrators of a terrible crime?

Nazanine Hozar’s novel, THE SMALL ONES, published by @KnopfCA, has been shortlisted for the 2026 #GillerPrize! Jury Citation: In The Small Ones, Nazanine Hozar gives voice to a group of children made to carry the consequences of adult ambition; children who are psychologically and spiritually manipulated into believing that their sacrifices serve a greater purpose. Through deceptively simple, lyrical prose, Hozar maintains the humanity of this rag-tag community in a story shaped by war, indoctrination, and the recurring cycle of violence. Friendship, imagination, and the families the children create for themselves become counterforces to a world that has failed to protect them. Using an intricate three-part structure, The Small Ones shifts the question in readers’ minds from what will happen to these children to how these children arrived in their circumstances, confronting us with the toll that war takes on the world’s most innocent citizens. Restrained in its telling yet expansive in its meaning, The Small Ones transforms the experiences of children caught in conflict into a deeply affecting examination of sacrifice, power, survival, and the enduring humanity of those whom society deems expendable.

Nicholas Herring’s novel, YOUR BREATH IN CHARCOAL, published by @goose_lane, has been shortlisted for the 2026 #GillerPrize! Jury Citation: An uproarious, undeniably Maritime tale, Your Breath in Charcoal recounts the story of Knickle: an East Coast “everyman” on a road trip from Prince Edward Island ‘down the road’ to “Tah-ron-ah.” “Swimming in the wonder and potential of life, of bruises and injuries, but also of quiet resilience,” Your Breath in Charcoal is a deeply philosophical narrative filled with pop culture references, literary allusions, and mordant, quotable witticisms. With Knickle’s distinctive voice at its center, Your Breath in Charcoal is a character study of a young man learning how to live his life, facing the complexities of the modern world in a riotously funny working-class odyssey filled with love, loss, and profound hope.

Michelle Good’s novel, ELIZA SUNSHINE, published by @randomhouseca, has been shortlisted for the 2026 #GillerPrize! Jury Citation: A sweeping chronicle that spans three generations of Cree women, Eliza Sunshine introduces us to the titular character as she’s returning home from residential school. Her nôhkom, Swan, tells stories of the strong matriarchs who shaped Swan in her childhood – and the unimaginable hardship inflicted on Eliza’s ancestors. Decades later, Eliza recounts her own adventures to her daughter, Ella, whose embrace of her Indigenous identity clashes with Eliza’s desire to protect her daughter from the horrors of colonial violence and discrimination. Lovingly written to evoke a rich oral storytelling tradition, Eliza Sunshine guides readers through memories of adversity and triumph, illustrating the power of storytelling as a means of healing and overcoming struggle. Drawing heavily from the author’s own family history, Eliza Sunshine is a masterful, deeply personal snapshot of a tragic chapter of Canadian history, navigating readers with unflinching honesty through a story of hope and strength.

Tara Gereaux's novel, WILD PEOPLE QUIET, published by Scribner Canada, has been shortlisted for the 2026 #GillerPrize! Jury Citation: Set in 1946 Saskatchewan, Wild People Quiet follows Florence Banks—a Métis woman “passing” as white—whose meticulously orchestrated life in the predominantly white town of Torduvalle begins to unravel when she discovers the government’s plans to force the Métis off their land. A stunning exploration of colonial trauma, self-acceptance, and the sacredness of community, Wild People Quiet follows an agonized Florence forced to choose between the community that birthed her and the life that she has built for herself. An intimate and resonant tale filled with quiet intensity, Wild People Quiet invites readers to reflect on their own family histories, the parts of themselves they choose to hide, and the hardships that have made them stronger. #CravingCanLit #CanLit #canadianliterature #fiction #fictionprize

TOMORROW! #GillerPrize

Q: Did anything surprise you when writing your long-listed book? A: Everything surprises me when I’m writing novels. I start with an idea that morphs into another idea. All too often, during the writing process, I feel as though I’m blindfolded, stumbling around, grabbing at words that fail to give shape to my intent. Occasionally, an idea surfaces that perfectly informs on what I’m trying to convey to the reader. I relish these surprises. They feel like magic. Cordelia Strube's novel, AT SEA IN A SIEVE, has been longlisted for the 2026 #GillerPrize! Read more: gillerprize.ca/giller-spotli… #CravingCanLit #CanLit #canadianliterature

Q: Who’s your favourite character in your longlisted book and why? A: My favourite character to write in Good People was Qandi Gul. Her character was inspired by my maternal grandmother, who told stories in a beautifully vivid and poetic way, and when I was writing her parts of the book it felt like I could hear my grandmother’s voice again, telling the story to me. Patmeena Sabit's novel, GOOD PEOPLE, has been longlisted for the 2026 #GillerPrize! Read more: gillerprize.ca/giller-spotli… #CravingCanLit #CanLit #canadianliterature

Q: Which authors or books inspired your book? A: Chateaubriand’s Memoirs from Beyond the Grave, a four-volume account of the French writer’s life, composed in his old age in the early 19th century, provided a durational constraint and a refrain for Riverwork. He wrote it at his home in the Bievre River valley outside of Paris, and it provided a key for thinking and writing about death, mourning, disappearance, and political change. Lisa Robertson's novel, RIVERWORK, has been longlisted for the 2026 #GillerPrize! Read more: gillerprize.ca/giller-spotli… #CravingCanLit #CanLit #canadianliterature

Q: What advice would you have for someone struggling to make time to write? A: Get rid of the idea that you need a full day to write. Fruitful writing can be done during small windows, like your 30-minute commute or your baby’s one-hour nap. These small windows add up. And when you can’t sit down and write, never stop thinking about your book and jotting down your ideas. Some of the best ideas happen when you’re not writing. Mai Nguyen's novel, CHLOE DANG WOULD RATHER BE DEAD, has been longlisted for the 2026 #GillerPrize! Read more: gillerprize.ca/giller-spotli… #CravingCanLit #CanLit #canadianliterature

Q: Which authors or books inspired your book? A: Daphnis and Chloe is a reimagining of an Ancient Greek novel written by someone named Longus, probably around the second century. Not much is known about him, including whether Longus was actually his name. His work inspired me directly, but also the idea of someone in his unimaginable circumstance choosing to write a light-hearted story about love. That was moving to me. Colin McAdam's novel, DAPHNIS AND CHLOE, has been longlisted for the 2026 #GillerPrize! Read more: gillerprize.ca/giller-spotli… #CravingCanLit #CanLit #canadianliterature

Q: Did anything surprise you when writing your longlisted book? A: I began the book, I imagined it as a multi-generation story of an entire family. It became one week in the life of one member of that family. That surprised me a lot! Wayne Johnston's novel, THE NOVICE OF HOLLOWAY HALL, has been longlisted for the 2026 #GillerPrize! Read more: gillerprize.ca/giller-spotli… #CravingCanLit #CanLit #canadianliterature

Q: When did you first come up with the idea for your book? A: I tend to have a long gestation period with my books and think about them for many years before putting pen to paper. It was about ten years ago when I knew I wanted to write about a woman in the 1940s who was hiding her Métis identity, but it wasn’t until 2019 that I started to write it. I completed the first draft (and the next two) during the pandemic years and in 2023 I felt like I had something I could submit to agents and publishers. Tara Gereaux's novel, WILD PEOPLE QUIET, has been longlisted for the 2026 #GillerPrize! Read more: gillerprize.ca/giller-spotli… #CravingCanLit #CanLit #canadianliterature