Events

A finalist for Canada’s Governor General’s Award, this is an evocative and passionately written debut short story collection that explores emotional and physical absences, the ways in which people leave and are left, and whether it’s ever possible to move on. With a remarkable economy of words, moments of dark humor, and wisdom and dexterity far beyond her years, Willis captures an incredible array of characters that will linger in the imagination, proving that nothing is ever truly forgotten.  In these fourteen stories, secrets are both kept and unearthed, and lives are shaped by missing lovers, parents, and children. Deborah Willis’ work has appeared in various journals and publications, and she was a winner of PRISM International’s annual fiction prize.  Fluent in French and a graduate of the University of Victoria, she has held varied jobs and is currently a bookseller at Munro’s Books in Victoria, BC.  Shortlisted for the Governor General’s Literary Award and long-listed for the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award, Vanishing and Other Stories is her first book of fiction.