I Am a Truck
Finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize
A tender but lively debut novel about a man, a woman, and their Chevrolet dealer.
Agathe
and Réjean Lapointe are about to celebrate their twentieth wedding
anniversary when Réjean's beloved Chevy Silverado is found abandoned at
the side of the road-with no trace of Réjean. Agathe handles her grief
by fondling the shirts in the Big and Tall department at Hickey's Family
Apparel and carrying on a relationship with a cigarette survey. As her
hope dwindles, Agathe falls in with her spirited coworker, Debbie, who
teaches Agathe about rock and roll, and with Martin Bureau, the one man
who might know the truth about Réjean's fate. Set against the landscape
of rural Acadia, I Am a Truck is a funny and moving tale about the possibilities and impossibilities of love and loyalty.
Scotiabank Giller Prize Jury Citation:
French
or English, stick or twist, Chevy or Ford? Michelle Winters has written
an original, off-beat novel that explores the gaps between what people
are and what they want to be. For a short book I am a Truck is
bursting with huge appetites, for love and le rock-and-roll and cheese,
for male friendship and takeout tea with the bag left in. Within the
novel's distinctive Acadian setting French and English co-exist like old
friends - comfortable, supple to each other's whims and rhythms,
sometimes bickering but always contributing to this fine, very funny,
fully-achieved novel about connection and misunderstanding. And trucks.
"I Am a Truck is a mystery of considerable depth. And it is also very funny."--Atlantic Books Today
"At once charming, funny, bizarre and highly original with a feel-good ending reminiscent of Thelma and Louise's iconic finale."--Canadian Living
Earn by promoting books
Earn money by sharing your favorite books through our Affiliate program.
Become an affiliateMICHELLE WINTERS is a writer, painter, and translator born and raised in Saint John, NB. Her debut novel, I Am a Truck, was shortlisted for the 2017 Scotiabank Giller Prize. She is the translator of Kiss the Undertow and Daniil and Vanya by Marie-Hélène Larochelle. She lives in Toronto.
"Winters does a lot on the page and packs a great deal of charm into this trim, very human little book... Quirky and fun, I Am a Truckfeels like a departure from the typical Giller-nominated fare, and that's a very good thing. Totally at home despite its smaller stature - both in publishing house and page count - this pick lends something fresh and unexpected to the hallowed list." -- Globe and Mail
"I Am a Truck, by New Brunswick writer Michelle Winters, features a Chevy Silverado in a short novel with the feel of a Coen brothers' film...This is a story about driving, freedom, rock 'n' roll and the joys of taking control of your own destiny--and destination." --Toronto Star
"This fast-paced, quirky, heart warming and hilarious novel captures the fast and loose crossovers of language and culture that make southeast New Brunswick unique." - Geist
"Winters is an ace at slyly building tension; after a couple chapters we find ourselves in the middle of a detective story, wrapped in a love story, wrapped in a portrait of a part of French Canada that is unlike any other region in the country." - Matrix Magazine
"Tightly constructed but character-driven, Michelle Winters' I Am a Truck is a remarkably satisfying read. For a jury who clearly appreciates the art of driving off-road, this fresh voice deserved a nod of recognition and it could even snag a spot in the parking lot of the [Giller Prize] shortlist." -- Buried in Print