saints, unexpected: a novel
Shortlisted for the 2016 Hamilton Arts Council Fiction Award
Shortlisted for the 2016 Kerry Schooley Book Award
A nimble debut novel featuring a magical Niche and a motley cast of neighbourhood misfits.
When fifteen-year-old Mutton is robbed at gunpoint while working in her mother’s Hamilton thrift store, the thief makes off with an item that Mutton knows isn’t meant for him, hurling Mutton and her family into a summer of remarkable and heartbreaking events. From fighting unscrupulous developers to first loves to the anguish that comes from never knowing what your final words to a loved one might be, Saints, Unexpected reminds us of the magic that comes with each opportunity to begin again.
what others are saying
“This small gem of a novel will stay with you long after you finish reading. It’s a mystery, a love story, a family drama,
and it has just enough magic to keep you hooked to the last page.”
— Annabel Lyon, author of Consent
“SAINTS, UNEXPECTED is not only a masterful evocation of the simple complexities of family life,
it’s also a moving tribute to a city and to those who have struggled to save it.
Brent van Staalduinen has a sure eye and a powerful voice.”
— Wayne Grady, author of The Good Father
“SAINTS, UNEXPECTED takes on family, strife, and the magic of neighbourhoods
with a precise and compassionate hand. The details of Hamilton's downtown core are as delicate and unforgettable
as his characters themselves—this is a novel filled with hope, both as gritty and as gentle as the city it explores.”
— Amanda Leduc, author of The Centaur’s Wife
with grateful acknowledgment of granting support from:
