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Top Canadian books to watch out for in 2023

A new year means the earth has begun a new orbit around the sun — but for readers it means new worlds of words await

By: Melanie Nava Urribarri

black graphic with a red lined illustration of the back of a person's head holding books

In most parts of Canada, January always brings a familiar, freezing breeze that seeps through thick coats and tickles the nerves on our skin as we try desperately to stay warm. This frigid month also puts forward the promise of new beginnings and the slow descent of the winter months. You just have to survive, let the snow become a routine and the early sundown blanket you until the summer brings back its comforting warmth.

It’s clear that enjoying winter can be hard for most of us (I personally will not leave my house unless necessary), but with January, Canada also brings along an ocean of writers that the new year has given opportunity to. They’re well-rested and excited to let their words flow to the masses. So for your survival, I’ve listed below a few of the top Canadian books to watch out for in 2023 to help you get that last push you need to get through this harsh, Canadian winter.

“What Remains of Elsie Jane” by Chelsea Wakelyn

Written by Canadian musician and author Chelsea Wakelyn from Vancouver Island, this novel holds 4.5 stars on Goodreads so far from readers who have received the book in advance.

As an adult fiction novel, it’s described to be “a heartbreaking and darkly funny portrait of a woman unravelling in the wake of tragedy.” The story follows Elsie Jane, who has just lost her partner. She’s left to manage the hardships of life and care for her daughter and son on her own, as well as manage her grief alone. Advance readers felt the loss portrayed was authentic to the grieving process, though because of the heavy material directly related to that distress, they say it was a bit hard to get entirely lost in the novel.

If you’re interested in reading contemporary, heart-wrenching realities, this book may be for you. What Remains of Elsie Jane will be available on Amazon and at Barnes and Nobles for purchase starting Feb. 28, 2023.

“Sing, Nightingale” by Marie Hélène Poitras

Written by Marie Hélène Poitras in French and translated into English by Rhonda Mullins, this book holds 3.4 stars on Goodreads and is described as “a gothic tale of secrets and revenge.”

The novel is a mix of the mystique and the sinister. Right off the bat, it is revealed that an estate once flourishing, is falling into ruin — along with the people inhabiting it. Following a long line of fathers who have succeeded in these lands at the expense of others (mostly women), a woman by the name of Aliénor is brought to the community by the current father of the estate. She brings a promise to the land —that the plants will flourish, the animals will multiply and each feast will be more sumptuous than the last. The twist? Aliénor is a “whisperer,” a woman that is able to awaken past generations of silenced women now able to have their voices heard.

If gothic fiction is your genre, this novel will be published Feb. 14, 2023, and available at All Lit Up.

“Old Babes in the Wood” by Margaret Atwood

A highly anticipated new release by literary legend Margaret Atwood, her first short story collection since 2014 dives into the depths of “family relationships, marriage, loss and memory, and what it means to spend a life together.”

Here, Atwood is able to go back to short fiction, returning with her creativity and her prized skill at touching the driving forces of humanity with stories that continue to both delight and devastate.

Coming out on March 7, 2023, this book will be available at Indigo as well as many other bookstores across the country.

“Ring of Fire: High-Stakes Mining in a Lowlands Wilderness” by Virginia Heffernan

Expected March 14, 2023, this book is written by Virginia Heffernan, an author from Toronto and a former geoscientist.

This historical fiction incorporates relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people at a time when prospectors discover metal deposits under the James Bay Lowlands of Northern Ontario in 2007. These findings lure an American company and force politicians to confront their legal duties in the consultation of Indigenous Peoples on developing their traditional territories.

Ring of Fire: High-Stakes Mining in a Lowlands Wilderness is a well-researched, provocative piece on Northern resources and opens up a variety of discussions of issues that are still real and present in 2023.

Herfferman’s novel will be available at Indigo and Amazon, as well as at many other distributors.

“Bad Cree” by Jessica Johns

By Indigenous-Canadian author Jessica Johns, a member of Sucker Creek First Nation in Treaty 8 territory in Northern Alberta, this novel was initially an award-winning short story and is now a full-length novel. It incorporates elements of the horror genre mixed with magical realism. The story follows a young Cree woman “whose dreams lead her toward self-discovery and eventually seep into reality.” Currently, this novel has four stars on Goodreads and many have described it as beautifully-written, touching upon heavy themes in Canada’s Indigenous history while putting a focus on dreams, which can hold intense significance within Cree culture.

Bad Cree was published on Jan. 10, 2023, and is currently available on Amazon for purchase.

Are these titles not capturing your interest? Don’t worry! There are hundreds more Canadian novels out there, such as On the Ravine by Vincent Lam, Snow Road Station by Elizabeth Hay or The Fake by Zoe Whittall. Without a doubt, one is sure to spark your interest and make your heart warm and full no matter the weather.