Book Launch:That's My Baby by Frances Itani
In Person Fiction
General Admission
Free
Thursday
Sep , 2017
14
7:00pm
Eastern
Pellan Room, 2nd Floor Library and Archives Canada
395 Wellington Street • Ottawa
A heart-wrenching story of hope and sacrifice, of human error and unconventional healing, in which the characters must test the strength of their love for one another in order to break free from the shadows of the past.
THIS EVENT IS AT CAPACITY AND REGISTRATION IS CLOSED
Library and Archives Canada, the Ottawa International Writers Festival, and HarperCollins invite you to celebrate the launch of That’s My Baby, the new novel from Ottawa’s Frances Itani, the internationally bestselling author of Tell and Deafening
At the end of her Scotiabank Giller Prize—shortlisted novel Tell, a baby is adopted by a young Deseronto couple who are coming to terms with the end of the Great War. Eighteen years on, the baby, Hanora, now a young woman, is told about her adoption, but given no details. As a second world war looms, Hanora is determined to uncover the mysteries of her identity. This quest will take her across the ocean with her cousin, Billie, and headlong into the tumult of Europe. Amid the tensions of World War II, the music and the great dance halls of the era beckon, and a career as a journalist becomes possible, even as her great love, Tobe, enlists in the Infantry. But Hanora will not let the past lie, even though, decades later, the truth remains beyond her grasp. Billie, whose memory is fading as she slips into dementia, provides elusive clues, but it isn’t until Hanora discovers a set of diaries written by a late local artist and that she begins to piece together the central issue of her own identity, hidden from her since birth.
Frances Itani’s vivid storytelling, infused with music and seamless historical detail, reveals how memory, no matter how imperfect, can shape the person we believe ourselves to be.
All are welcome, and admission is free. American Sign Language interpretation will be provided. The book will be available for purchase and signing.
Library and Archives Canada, the Ottawa International Writers Festival, and HarperCollins invite you to celebrate the launch of That’s My Baby, the new novel from Ottawa’s Frances Itani, the internationally bestselling author of Tell and Deafening
At the end of her Scotiabank Giller Prize—shortlisted novel Tell, a baby is adopted by a young Deseronto couple who are coming to terms with the end of the Great War. Eighteen years on, the baby, Hanora, now a young woman, is told about her adoption, but given no details. As a second world war looms, Hanora is determined to uncover the mysteries of her identity. This quest will take her across the ocean with her cousin, Billie, and headlong into the tumult of Europe. Amid the tensions of World War II, the music and the great dance halls of the era beckon, and a career as a journalist becomes possible, even as her great love, Tobe, enlists in the Infantry. But Hanora will not let the past lie, even though, decades later, the truth remains beyond her grasp. Billie, whose memory is fading as she slips into dementia, provides elusive clues, but it isn’t until Hanora discovers a set of diaries written by a late local artist and that she begins to piece together the central issue of her own identity, hidden from her since birth.
Frances Itani’s vivid storytelling, infused with music and seamless historical detail, reveals how memory, no matter how imperfect, can shape the person we believe ourselves to be.
All are welcome, and admission is free. American Sign Language interpretation will be provided. The book will be available for purchase and signing.
