A magnificent generational saga that charts a family’s rise and fall, its secrets and inherited crimes, from one of Canada’s most acclaimed novelistsLonglisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize • “A rugged, riveting novel . . . This superb family saga will satisfy fans of Richard Powers’s The Overstory.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)“There are plenty of visionary moments laced into [Christie’s] shape-shifting na...

Longlisted for the 2011 Scotiabank Giller PrizeCritically lauded, The Beggar’s Garden is a brilliantly surefooted, strikingly original collection of nine linked short stories that will delight as well as disturb. The stories follow a diverse group of curiously interrelated characters, from bank manager to crackhead to retired Samaritan to web designer to car thief, as they drift through each other’s lives in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. These engrossing ...

In the titular story of Michael Christie’s critically acclaimed debut collection, The Beggar’s Garden, Sam Prince moves into the shed behind his house as his marriage falls apart. He meets a local panhandler and tries to help him sort out his life—even though he can’t find the courage to fix his own.The Beggar’s Garden follows a diverse group of characters, from a bank manager to a drug addict to a retired Samaritan, a web designer, and a car thief, as they drift ...

Eine Familie, vier Generationen, schicksalhaft verbunden mit den Wäldern Kanadas – und unserer ZukunftJacinda Greenwood weiß nichts über ihre väterliche Familie, deren Namen sie trägt. Sie arbeitet als Naturführerin auf Greenwood Island, doch die Namensgleichheit, so glaubt sie, ist reiner Zufall. Bis eines Tages ihr Ex-Verlobter vor ihr steht. Im Gepäck hat er das Tagebuch ihrer Großmutter. Jahresring für Jahresring enthüllt sich für Jacinda endlich ihre Familieng...

From the critically acclaimed short-story collection The Beggar’s Garden, “The Extra” features a young, mentally disabled man and his best friend, Rick, who find work as extras on a film set. This story was nominated for a Journey Prize.The Beggar’s Garden follows a diverse group of characters, from a bank manager to a drug addict to a retired Samaritan, a web designer, and a car thief, as they drift through each other’s lives in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Mic...

From the short-story collection The Beggar’s Garden, “Discard” tells the story of Earl, who, after the death of his beloved wife, Tuuli, retreats into his basement. He emerges to track down his estranged, homeless grandson, leaving food and other broken-down bits of things in dumpsters for him to find.The Beggar’s Garden follows a diverse group of characters, from a bank manager to a drug addict to a retired Samaritan, a web designer, and a car thief, as they drif...

The reluctant owner of a wayward Andalucian wolfhound named Buddy, Dan discovers the immutable bond between man and his best friend. “An Ideal Companion” is part of Michael Christie’s critically acclaimed short-story collection, The Beggar’s Garden.The Beggar’s Garden follows a diverse group of characters, from a bank manager to a drug addict to a retired Samaritan, a web designer, and a car thief, as they drift through each other’s lives in Vancouver’s Downtown E...

A heartfelt and wondrous debut about family, fear, and skateboarding, that Karen Russell calls "A bruiser of a tale . . . a death-defying coming-of-age story."Will has never been outside, at least not since he can remember. And he has certainly never gotten to know anyone other than his mother, a fiercely loving yet wildly eccentric agoraphobe who panics at the thought of opening the front door. Their world is rich and fun- loving—full of art, science experiments, ...

Finch stole his first car when he was a nimble twelve-year-old. Hundreds of cars later, he slips behind the wheel of an emerald-green Benz and takes his chances in the night, picking up a passenger along the way. “The Quiet” is part of Michael Christie’s critically acclaimed short-story collection, The Beggar’s Garden.The Beggar’s Garden follows a diverse group of characters, from a bank manager to a drug addict to a retired Samaritan, a web designer, and a car th...

Michael Christie delicately and convincingly explores the fragile world of mental illness through Saul, a hospital patient who stops taking his medication, reordering his perspective on the world. “King Me” is part of Christie’s critically acclaimed short-story collection, The Beggar’s Garden.The Beggar’s Garden follows a diverse group of characters, from a bank manager to a drug addict to a retired Samaritan, a web designer, and a car thief, as they drift through...

Crack addict Henry bumps into theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, and the two set out on a drug-fuelled adventure, contemplating the nature of science, addiction, and the restlessness of human life. “Goodbye Porkpie Hat” is part of Michael Christie’s critically acclaimed short-story collection, The Beggar’s Garden. It was nominated for a Journey Prize.The Beggar’s Garden follows a diverse group of characters, from a bank manager to a drug addict to a reti...

Bernice is a collector—of items rescued from her thrift shop and memories of a husband who abandoned her years ago—until one day she decides to take her sister’s advice and downsize. “The Queen of Cans and Jars” is part of Michael Christie’s critically acclaimed short-story collection, The Beggar’s Garden.The Beggar’s Garden follows a diverse group of characters, from a bank manager to a drug addict to a retired Samaritan, a web designer, and a car thief, as they ...