This week at Writers Read: a Man Booker nominee and “Canada’s scariest writer”
This week, Man Booker-nominee Emma Donoghue and Andrew Pyper — author of scare-fest The Demonologist — are launching the 2013-14 edition of Writers Read, Concordia’s long-standing literary series.
On October 10, Irish-born Donoghue is stopping by the Henry F. Hall Building for a public reading, followed by a Q&A. Pyper was in The Floating Box in the John Molson School of Business Building on October 8.
Here’s a taste of Room (HarperCollins Canada), Donoghue’s seventh novel, which was shortlisted for the 2010 Man Booker Prize.
When she spits the second time it’s my go with Toothbrush, I scrub each my teeth all the way around. Ma’s spit in Sink doesn’t look a bit like me, mine doesn’t either. I wash them away and make a vampire smile.
“Argh.” Ma covers her eyes. “Your teeth are so clean, they’re dazzling me.”
Her ones are pretty rotted because she forgetted to brush them, she’s sorry and she doesn’t forget anymore but they’re still rotted.
Emma Donoghue © Andrew Bainbridge, 2010.
I flat the chairs and put them beside Door against Clothes Horse. He always grumbles and says there’s no room but there’s plenty if he stands up really straight. I can fold up flat too but not quite as flat because of my muscles, from being alive. Door’s made of shiny magic metal, he goes beep beep after nine when I’m meant to be switched off in Wardrobe.
God’s yellow face isn’t coming in today, Ma says he’s having trouble squeezing through the snow.
“What snow?”
“See,” she says, pointing up.
There’s a little bit of light at Skylight’s top, the rest of her is all dark. TV snow’s white but the real isn’t, that’s weird. “Why it doesn’t fall on us?”
“Because it’s on the outside.”
“In Outer Space? I wish it was inside so I can play with it.”
“Ah, but then it would melt, because it’s nice and warm in here.” She starts humming, I guess right away it’s “Let It Snow.” I sing the second verse. Then I do “Winter Wonderland” and Ma joins in higher. We have thousands of things to do every morning.
Excerpt courtesy of HarperCollins Canada. Find out more about Emma Donoghue, Andrew Pyper and the Writers Read series on the Writers Read blog.
What: Emma Donoghue at Writers Read
Where: Room H-767, Henry F. Hall Building (1455 De Maisonneuve Blvd. W.), Sir George Williams Campus
When: 7 p.m. on Thursday, October 10, 2013