The finalists for the 2021 Governor General's Literary Award for fiction

Here are the finalists for the 2021Governor General's Literary Award for fiction.

The Governor General's Literary Awards are one of Canada's oldest and most prestigious literary prizes.

The prizes, administeredby theCanada Council for the Arts, are awarded in seven English-language categories:fiction,nonfiction,poetry,young people's literature text,young people's literature illustration,dramaandtranslation. Seven French-language awards arealsogiven outin the same categories.

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Each winner will receive$25,000.The winners will be announced on Nov. 17, 2021.

The fiction category was assessed byKristen den Hartog, Chris Eaton and Suzette Mayr.

You can see the finalists in all seven categories here.

Get to know the fiction finalists below.

Fictional Father by Joe Ollmann

Fictional Fatheris the story of a washed-up middle-aged painternamed Caleb. Now that he's sober, he must face his untapped potential, his past and his father who made millions writing a family-oriented cartoon while neglecting his own son.Calebis determined to face his demons and be a better man than his father.Fictional Fatherexplores family, regret and what it means to make art.

• Creating comics brings joy to Joe Ollmann

Joe Ollmannis acomic book artist and illustrator from Hamilton, Ont. His other comics includeThe Abominable Mr. Seabrook,Happy Stories About Well-Adjusted PeopleandMid-Life.

Home Waltz byG. A. Grisenthwaite

Home Waltz is a novel about 15-year-old mixed-blood Nekepmx boy known as"Squito" Bob, trying to figure out his place in the world. He's not fully accepted as white or Indigenous, and often feels left out in his community and amonghis friends. Home Waltz follows "Squito" Bob and his friends over one big weekend, exploring friendship, identity and romance along the way.

G. A. Grisenthwaite is Nekepmx, a member of the Lytton First Nation who currently lives in Kingsville, Ont. His work has appeared inThe Antigonish Review,Our Stories Literary JournalandPrism International.

Second Place byRachel Cusk

Second Placeis a novel about a woman who invites a famous artist to her remote coastal town. She hopes that his vision and talent will change her life, and her perspective on things. What unfolds is a study of humanity, beauty and connection, as the novel explores how our internal and external lives are connected.

Second Placewas also longlisted for the 2021 Booker Prize.

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Rachel Cusk is a Canadian-born novelist who lives in the U.K. She is best known for her Outline trilogy, which is comprised of the novelsOutline,TransitandKudos. BothOutlineandTransitwere shortlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, in 2015 and 2017, respectively.

Tainna: The Unseen Ones byNorma Dunning

Tainna: The Unseen Onesis a collection of six stories from Inuk writer Norma Dunning. Each of the stories focuses on a contemporary Inuk character, and explores themes such as homelessness, spirituality, death, displacement, loneliness, alienation and community connection.

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Dunning is an Inuk writer who currently lives in Edmonton. She is also the author of the short story collectionAnnie Muktuk and Other Storiesand the poetry collectionEskimo Pie: A Poetics of Inuit Identity.Annie Muktuk and Other Storieswon the 2018 Danuta Gleed Literary Award, which recognizes the best debut short story collection of the year.

12:24Norma Dunning on Tainna

Norma Dunning talks to Shelagh Rogers about her book, Tainna: The Unseen Ones, Short Stories.

You Are Eating an Orange. You Are Naked. bySheung-King

You are Eating an Orange. You are Naked.is a surreal novel about a translator who travels the globe with his lover. Along the way, they tell each other stories, pose philosophical questions and share their ideas about the world. It's glamorous and stimulating, but the lover often disappears without explanation.

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Sheung-Kingis a writer born in Vancouver, raised in Hong Kong and currently living in Toronto.You are Eating an Orange. You are Naked.is his first book.