November 7, 2006
UNB Fredericton News Release: D833
Tina English, Communications and Marketing (506) 453-4793

Novelist and short story writer Madeleine Thien will read from her stunning novel Certainty. The reading will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 21, at 8 p.m. in the Alumni Memorial Lounge, at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Ms. Thien resides in Vancouver and holds a master of fine arts degree from the University of British Columbia. She has garnered considerable critical attention with her writing. Her brilliant first book, a collection of stories entitled Simple Recipes, won four awards in Canada and was named a notable book by the Kiriyama Pacific Rim Book Prize.

Certainty, Ms. Thien’s first novel, chronicles Vancouver radio documentary producer Gail Lim as she finds herself haunted by her parents’ mysterious past in Asia. The novel is a vivid and intimate look at loss, the effects of war, and the redemptive qualities of love. The New York Times Book Review praises Ms. Thien: “The austere grace and polished assurance of her prose [is] remarkable.”

The reading is sponsored by UNBF’s department of English, the University Bookstore, and the Canada Council for the Arts.

For more information on the reading, contact Ross Leckie at 458-7395.

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