Advertisement
  • Newsletter
  • Subscribe
Books

Johanna Skibsrud: Canadian writer profile

The winner of the 2010 Scotiabank Giller Prize — Canada's most prestigious literary award — is back with her sophomore effort
By Gillian Berner and Catherine Franklin
this will be difficult to explain

Hometown: Born in Meadowville, N.S.; lives in Montreal and Tucson, Arizona.

Kudos: Won the 2010 Scotiabank Giller Prize for her debut novel, The Sentimentalists.

Her new book: This Will be Difficult to Explain and Other Stories, $28. In these nine stories, Skibsrud writes of distorted perceptions. Her characters view the world through foggy lenses; they become frustrated as they try to communicate with each other and struggle to separate the truth from lies. Her quiet tone has a dreamy, rhythmic quality — you can almost hear her characters take a breath between thoughts as they look inward to find meaning in their lives. — C.F.

Behind the scenes:
Skibsrud’s previous employment includes working with at-risk youth in the Canadian Arctic and a job as a wilderness instructor.

The very best of Chatelaine straight to your inbox.

By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Copy link
The cover of Chatelaine magazine's spring 2025 issue, reading "weekend prep made easy"; "five delicious weeknight meals", "plus, why you'll never regret buying an air fryer"; "save money, stay stylish how to build a capsule wardrobe" and "home organization special" along with photos of burritos, chicken and rice and white bean soup, quick paella in a dutch oven, almost-instant Thai chicken curry and chicken broccoli casserole in an enamelled cast-iron skillet

Subscribe to Chatelaine!

Want to streamline your life? In our Spring 2025 issue, we’ll show you how—whether it’s paring down your wardrobe, decluttering your messiest spaces or spending way less time cooking thanks to an easy, mostly make-ahead meal plan for busy weeknights. Plus, our first annual Pantry Awards.