Kicking off her fall tour, award-winning Haisla author Eden Robinson stopped by Terrace to read passages from her new novel Trickster Drift.
More than 160 people crowded into the Terrace Art Gallery Oct. 10 to listen to Robinson read two chapters from the latest instalment in the Trickster trilogy.
The series follows the life of Jared, a young teenager in Kitimat whose coming-of-age story is woven in with tales of Indigenous folklore, heartbreak and crazy family dynamics. Robinson’s first book, Son of a Trickster, was nominated in 2017 for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, one of only five books chosen from a list of 112 titles submitted by 73 publishers from across the country.
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After the reading, Robinson opened the floor to questions, shared writing tips and signed copies of her new book. She was there signing late into the evening as fans wrapped around the upper gallery, patiently waiting their turn.
“We filled up every chair that the gallery had, plus all of the chairs that the library had, and we had about 40 people standing,” said Jess Dafoe, deputy librarian. “It was a packed house.”
A few members in attendance also received ‘I <3 Jared’ promotional shirts from the publisher and Misty River Books, which features artwork from the novel’s cover. Occasionally throughout the evening, her often mentioned and infectious laugh would fill the gallery space.
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“She has this great laugh, if you’ve ever met Eden she has this amazing, booming laugh,” Dafoe said. “[The event] had a nice community feel to it, I think we embrace Eden as one of our own.”
Robinson now is headed from Terrace to Whistler, and flies from there to several locations around B.C., Ontario, Alberta and P.E.I. before coming back home to Kitimat in November.
-with files from Gerry Leibel
brittany@terracestandard.com
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