This time of year, I find myself rereading old favourites. On the couch by the window with a blanket and tea. No one in the house on a cold grey day. Though they contain sadness, these books possess a shattering beauty that lifts the spirit.

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A Suit of Light (Un habit de lumière), by Anne Hébert

Anne Hébert's final, slim novel delves into the lives of a marginalized Spanish immigrant family living in Paris. Rose-Alba longs for glamour, her husband Pedro wants stability, and their son Miguel finds solace with a Black male dancer, in a fantasy world. In Hébert’s poetic, spare prose, the author considers issues surrounding identity, desire, and the destructive power of obsession. Like all her works, this one is a quiet, devastating masterpiece.

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The Stone Angel, by Margaret Laurence

This novel follows Hagar Shipley, a strong-willed 90-year-old who looks back on her life, and her complex relationships with her family, her community and herself. Younger, my favourite of the Manawaka series was The Diviners. Now I find myself drawn to Hagar’s gut-wrenching story about aging, the loss of independence, the struggle for dignity, and retaining your fighting spirit.

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Monkey Beach, by Eden Robinson

I love all of Robinson’s books but Monkey Beach is the one I return to. Set in Kitamaat, on the north coast of British Columbia, it’s the coming-of-age story of a Haisla teen named Lisamarie, whose brother Jimmy has gone missing at sea. As Lisamarie searches for him, she reflects on her past and confronts the supernatural forces that have shaped her life. The novel explores themes of family, loss, and the power of the spirit world. I cry every time.

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The Tin Flute (Bonheur d’occasion), by Gabrielle Roy

Bonheur d’occasion literally translates to "second-hand happiness" In her distinctive lyrical writing style, Roy tells the story of the impoverished Lacasse family, living in the working-class neighbourhood of Saint-Henri, Montreal, during World War 2. The novel focuses on the struggles of the family to survive, find love, and overcome their circumstances. The English title, The Tin Flute, refers to a flute given to one of the children, representing their hopes and dreams. Utterly heartbreaking.

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Unless, by Carol Shields

In Shields' final novel, Reta Winters, a writer and translator, finds her life upended when her daughter Norah abandons her privileged upbringing to beg on a street corner. As Reta grapples with this inexplicable decision, she becomes increasingly isolated and obsessed with understanding her daughter's actions. A haunting meditation on the nature of goodness, the power of silence, the fragility of happiness, and the limitations of the human mind.

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Clara Callan, by Richard B. Wright

A poignant novel set during the Great Depression, Clara Callan is centered around an unmarried schoolteacher in her thirties living in a small town in Ontario. Clara is close to her younger sister, Nora, who is pursuing show business in New York. Through letters and journal entries, we follow the divergent lives of the two women as they navigate love and loss, gender roles, violence, and the changing social landscape of the time. Since the narrative shifts perspective, you might start off with a favourite, but by the end both sisters will have stolen a piece of your heart.

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Learn more about This Bright Dust:

As the Great Depression winds down and war in Europe looms, the small Prairie community of Grayley is all but abandoned. After a decade of dust and drought, few families remain. With growing season approaching, Abel Dodds and the Wisharts decide to plant their crops once again—their last chance to make a living on their debt-burdened farms. But when they learn of an impending royal visit, tensions ignite between the neighbours.

Deeply rooted in the landscape of the Prairies and laced with contemporary concerns, This Bright Dust deftly explores the relationship between people and the land they inhabit. In a richly layered novel, Berkhout tells a moving tale of promise and disillusionment, of near disaster and the cultivation of joy.