***2022 PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND BOOK AWARD: FICTION – WINNER***

***2022 BMO WINTERSET AWARD – LONGLIST***

 

A haunting and evocative exploration of the meaning of family and home.

Ingrid and Norah have an unconventional upbringing—growing up in a motel, raised by their mother and her female partner. The girls’ grandmother, Ada, who owns the Blue Moth, has always kept them at a distance. But when she buys a piano for the motel, that all changes. Years later in England, training to be a soloist, Ingrid loses her voice and must decide what to do. She hears from Norah, who’s reviving a party that began during their childhood to celebrate the arrival of mysterious and elusive blue moths. The Blue Moth Motel deals with family dynamics, grief, and the concept of home.

Olivia Robinson is originally from the Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia, and currently lives in St. John’s. She completed her BA in English at UPEI and her MA in Creative Writing at Memorial University. Her work has appeared in Riddle Fence, Cargo Literary Magazine, and the UPEI Arts Review. In 2020, a draft of The Blue Moth Motel was shortlisted for the Newfoundland and Labrador Credit Union Fresh Fish Award.

 

Olivia Robinson's profile page

• Long-listed, BMO Winterset Award
• Winner, PEI Book Awards – Fiction

“A perceptive modern take on coming-of-age fiction […] Robinson’s writing style and choices through flashbacks and the present day have the reader hooked on every character and their personal development.”

TEAGAL Lifestyle

"This book was like a lullaby. It’s one of those that you read for hours without realizing, because you become so enveloped in the characters and the storyline."

Digitally Lit

"A wonderfully radiant novel about siblings, family, grief, and home. Really enjoyed this one, it was such an evocative read! I loved the family dynamics so much and all the atmospheric elements, and the Canadian setting of course."

Bookalong

"I really liked the non-linear aspect of jumping back and forth between the present in Lewes and the past in PEI as well as the change in POV styles between them, leading up to the convergence of the storylines of past and present Ingrid. Robinson also has a great talent for descriptive writing."

Digitally Lit

"The Blue Moth Motel is a transformative coming-of-age story that shows the power of time in shifting perspective. The characters, descriptions, poignant imagery, and exosphere of the Blue Moth Motel will stay with you after you close the back cover and tuck it into the bookshelf."

Riddle Fence

"A deftly crafted novel by an author with a genuine flair for originality and the kind of narrative driven storytelling that holds the reader's fully entertained attention from beginning to end."

Midwest Book Review

"The one comparison that came to mind repeatedly as I read The Blue Moth Motel by Olivia Robinson was how it reminded me of Miriam Toews [...] Robinson brings together all of the conflicting character emotions and layered relationships into a loving, gentle, compassionate novel."

The Miramichi Reader

“Robinson also has a great talent for descriptive writing. There were many points throughout this book where I said 'wow' out loud in reaction to a phrase or piece of imagery she used. If you're interested in books with compelling narratives about family, love, and self with a heavy focus on female characters, then I cannot recommend The Blue Moth Motel enough.”

Digitally Lit

"The writing in this novel is lyrical, like the passion the sisters Norah and Ingrid have for music. The "notes" played by the author led this reader through the staves of music that play a huge part in the growing up years of the sisters [...] The power of music, in all its elements plays throughout the lives of the characters."

Atlantic Book Reviews