Stories for Survival

Is time an illusion? Are any of us every really safe or free? This year’s fiction panel brings together three novelists’ insightful takes on these questions against a backdrop of war and displacement. In Maria Reva’s second book, Endling, the procreation of rare snails is combined with “romance tours” and the outbreak of war on a harrowing journey through present-day Ukraine. In Madeleine Thien’s latest novel, The Book of Records, we are transported to a strange resting place for migrants called the Sea in which time, as we know it, does not exist and conversations with great thinkers of the past are commonplace. In PP Wong’s satirical second novel, Slice the Water, a freedom fighter leaves his homeland, run by a book-burning king, only to find that the peaceful nation he immigrates to is under a more dubious, technology-based threat. The conversation that arises from these three thought-provoking novels is sure to inspire.

Moderated by Susan Sanford Blades

IMPORTANT DETAILS:

1.) Doors open at 7:00. Seating is not assigned.

2 .) For accessibility information please refer to the "accessibility" tab at victoriafestivalofauthors.ca.

3 .) There is no general parking at the theatre. Free parking is available on side streets (Moss Street, Linden Avenue, and Fort Street), as well as the Central Middle School parking lot on Fort Street. Please abide by parking signs; do not park where it is posted Residential Only, as you may be ticketed. Please give yourself plenty of time to find parking before your event.

4.) If you select to stream this event from home, the livestream link will be emailed the day before the event.

5.) Captioning is available for the livestream option. Contact VFA by September 30 for ASL interpretation or in-person captioning.

6.) If you are unwell, please stay home and enjoy the livestream.

Host or Publisher Victoria Festival of Authors