Annal:1999 Governor General's Literary Award for Fiction

Elizabeth and After: A Novel

Matt Cohen

• 1999 Governor General's winner
• Score: 10.49

A touching and resonant story of a man who returns to the small town of West Gull, Ontario, to mend his family’s legacy of alcohol and violence, to reconnect with his young daughter, and to reconcile himself with the spirit of his beautiful mother, killed several years earlier in a tragic accident. Elizabeth and After masterfully wraps us up in the lives of Carl and his family, and the other 683 odd residents of this snowy Canadian hamlet.

Gloria: A Novel

Keith Maillard

• 1999 Governor General's finalists
• Score: 6.49

Gloria, a recent college graduate, class of ’57, has everything a girl could want. Expected to make a brilliant marriage to a wealthy but conventional man, Gloria finds herself torn between society’s expectations and her own search for a future that is both passionate and fulfilling. Her quest uncovers the intensity of desires, the gift of intellectual accomplishment, and the surprising power of friendship.

Gloria is a vivid and intimate portrayal of a privileged yet claustrophobic world, where conflicting expectations for women foreshadow an impending revolution. Gloria Cotter, in her last summer at home before setting out for the larger world, must find her way into an unimaginable future.

Pool-Hopping and Other Stories

Anne Fleming

• 1999 Governor General's finalists
• Score: 6.49

The fascinating characters in this short story collection come from differing backgrounds and generations, but all sense disorder lurking beneath the fragile surface of existence.

Can You Wave Bye Bye, Baby?

Elyse Gasco

• 1999 Governor General's finalists
• Score: 6.49

Can You Wave Bye Bye, Baby? is a powerful, poignant collection of thematically interwoven stories about relationships between parents and children, especially mothers and daughters. Each story explores the complex and often volatile terrain of adoption and birth. Edgy, urban, bold and vibrant, Can You Wave Bye Bye, Baby? marks the emergence of a young writer who understands the human heart and the secret lives of ordinary people.

The Worlds Within Her: A Novel

Neil Bissoondath

• 1999 Governor General's finalists
• Score: 6.49

This beautiful novel from the acclaimed, award-winning author of A Casual Brutality and The Innocence of Age, joins politics and love in a powerful story set in both the Caribbean and Canada. Neil Bissoondath draws us with a startling grace of language into the lives of a mother and daughter whose worlds and dreams collide to release deeply buried secrets.