Book Club Pick

Actor Sarah Winman’s debut novel, When God Was a Rabbit, is a tantalizing read, with quirky and original characters, an endearing voice, and plotlines that twist and turn and have even the characters gasping out loud.

Debut author Grace McCleen drew on her background to tell the captivating but ultimately harrowing tale of Judith MacPherson, a 10-year-old growing up in a strict religious household with her father.

Lora, Alex and I discuss the concluding section of Gurjinder Basran’s debut novel (page 197 to the end), and how pleased we were with the perhaps unexpected way things turned out for our heroine, Meena, and her family.

Writers are inspired by many things, but for Sarah Winman, much of the influence for her bestselling debut novel, When God Was a Rabbit, came from the places where she had spent her childhood and those where she now hangs out. She shares with Chatelaine pictures of those special settings and tells us how each one played a part in the book.

In Part 2 of our chat Alex, Lora and I discuss the unexpected twists and turns the plot takes in Gurjinder Basran’s debut novel, and how Basran’s writing steps up a notch to great dramatic effect. Spoiler alert!