Bergen has honed his skill to the point where he is not in the way of his story. Though a novel of abstract ideas, the writing remains clear. Yet, without having read three of the five finalists, I suspect Bergen’s book to the be the weakest on the shortlist.įirst things first: Bergen’s writing is not showy and it is fluid. In fact, other than a short story collection here (Winter) or a book of poetry there (Skibsrud), the other finalists are new authors in the book publishing world. Bergen is the heavy-weight, the seasoned professional. None has ever been on the longlist, either. The other authors on this year’s shortlist are all first-time Giller finalists. Bergen won the Giller in 2005 for The Time in Between, and he was shortlisted in 2008 for The Retreat. My second stop on this year’s Giller shortlist is David Bergen’s The Matter with Morris. In this brilliant and subtle evocation of vulnerability and loss, Bergen traces one woman's quest to reform her identity, reminding us that the unexpected is always lying in wait.The Matter with Morris by David Bergen (2010) HarperCollins Canada (2010) 256 pp Negotiating with herself about her altered role in the lives of her family and friends, Lucille circles the globe - and herself. And she is invited to the south of France to attend the marriage of a man whom she rejected a year earlier. She travels to Thailand to attempt to extricate her youngest daughter from the clutches of an apparent cult leader. Her ex-husband Morris betrays her by publishing a memoir about the aftermath of their son Martin's death in Afghanistan. Although adept at probing the lives of others, Lucille has become untethered, caught between duty and desire, between the demands of family and her own longing. In Out of Mind, David Bergen delves into the psyche of Lucille Black, mother, grandmother, lover, psychiatrist, and analyst of self, who first appeared in Bergen's bestselling novel The Matter with Morris. An uncanny, discerning, merciful algebra on what love takes, and where it leaves us.' - Paige Cooper

'Bergen's power as a writer pulls like an undertow. University of Toronto Schools Technology Supplies.University of Toronto Schools Stationery.Toronto Prep School Technology Supplies.Toronto Prep School Merch & Gym Uniforms.

Ontario Institute - Studies in Education.

Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education.

The Matter With Morris by David Bergen