2024 Toronto Book Awards

Reuniting With Strangers by Jennilee Austria-Bonifacio is a revelation. This novel of interlocking lives is bursting with the bold, authentic voices of those who’ve set off from their homeland of the Philippines for lives of servitude. Each must sacrifice and forsake their own families for the comfort and convenience of the fortunate, leaving them painfully estranged from their loved ones left behind. From Manila to Toronto’s Little Manila to other far-flung places, each character’s plight is rendered with vibrancy, ingenuity and urgency. Their stories are bitter and funny, indomitable and sorrowful, infused with humility, rage and joy. Theirs are voices we haven’t heard before, yet they are among us. It’s important that we listen.

Kristen den Hartog’s The Roosting Box, is a masterfully written and deeply moving mix of history and story. A cash register factory converted during the First World War into Toronto’s Christie Street Hospital, becomes for many a place of refuge to heal in, “a magical time, given that magic can be dark or bright or both at once.” At the heart of this book, den Hartog chronicles the physical and mental challenges faced by ordinary people: soldiers, veterans, nurses, hospital staff and doctors. She delves further into the families touched by the ripple-effects of war – wives, children, siblings, friends – weaving their personal reflections to create an intimate tapestry of a lives lived. In examining the horrific things done to people’s minds, their bodies and spirits, The Roosting Box meanders through time, but always returns to a place of healing. Heartbreaking and humane, den Hartog captures a city and a nation during a transformative time of loss and hope.

The Rasmussen Papers by Connie Gault is a perfectly imagined novel, executed with confidence, compassion and insight into the lives of its marginalized Cabbagetown characters. Gault’s precise observations and her descriptive prowess, shine through every page. This is a book that should be read slowly, savouring its reflections on the constraints to self-knowledge and the value of pushing through. The conclusion is a marvel, when all the intricate threads come together and the reader is left to consider the narrator’s reflection that “the puzzle itself is the solution.”

This book tells the story of how an unlikely pair of men – a retired salesman and a journalism student – fought City Hall and won by getting a barrier erected on the second most popular ‘suicide magnet’ bridge in North America, the Bloor Viaduct. Since its construction in 1918, some 400 people have been drawn to its perceived ‘romantic and easy’ escape from pain and suffering. The Suicide Magnet takes us through the surprising and little-known story of Al Birney and Michael McCamus, who insisted on shining a bright light on the dark taboo of suicide, as well as the compelling research that shows when the easiest route to ending a life is removed not all will seek another option. A fascinating, tightly written narrative that demonstrates how individuals, guided by passion and purpose, can make a truly life-affirming difference.

I’m so Glad We Had This Time Together is a tribute not only to love but to longing, a cogent exploration of desire. Vellekoop’s yearning to live his best gay life conflicts with his traditional family, and with the often flighty and intimidating Toronto arts scene of the 1980s and 90s. With vulnerability and humour, Vellekoop shares his experiences against the backdrop of our city, whose intricate suburban and downtown auras he captures in graphic form. From the wilds of suburban Etobicoke comes little Maurice, swinging a Barbie™ in one hand and a can of hairspray from his mother’s basement hair salon in the other. Mesmerized by Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty, he learns to draw and dreams of a future living in California where ‘grown men get paid to love fairy tales all day long’. The memoir celebrates the complexities of friendship, the echoes of family history, the weight of self-confrontation, the necessities of exploration, fantasy, and storytelling.