Oyster - by Marianne Ackerman (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

In this satirical family drama, a bestselling author struggles with writer's block until she reconnects with her ambitious niece at a funeral -- perfect for fans of Where'd You Go, Bernadette.

One-time bestselling novelist Amelia Cameron has writer's block. After her octogenarian father falls off a roof during a windstorm, his funeral brings the four Cameron siblings together on the family farm, following years of separation. With the patriarch gone, familiar relationships begin to crumble.

While the siblings spar, Amelia's niece, Ginny Gupta, begs her famous aunt for writing advice on her first novel. After a wine-soaked weekend and an innocent bit of typing, the resulting novel, The World Is Your Oyster, brings both women to the brink of scandal with the potential to shake the powerful literary world.

Veering between the high-stakes literary scene and the splendour of Prince Edward County vineyards, Ackerman's glittering, sharp-edged prose takes aim at the County's legendary codes -- sweep gossip under the rug and tamp down high emotion -- while slyly dissecting the pretences of book publishing.

Review Quotes

An account of creative life and family loss, Oyster feels deceptively small until its aching ecosystem becomes clear.

-- "Selena Mercuri, Literary Review of Canada, Bookworm, no. 139"

In an age where so many novels are written by AI and are richly padded with detail rather than plot, Ackerman's style is condensed and original ... There is tragedy, tears, family complications, romance, plenty of alcohol and tension and a high craft vocabulary. She literally draws a reader into an intimate family situation and holds that interest throughout

-- "Jack Evans, The Intelligencer"

An absorbing family saga that grabs you by the throat and won't let you go. The Cameron family's hierarchy of siblings and position in the community as well-to-do Canadian WASP country folk, heir latent repression, the Ontario omertà, the simmering Catholic tensions and sense of removal from the land they once farmed for survival was familiar and well-wrought. The vineyard as a metaphor for the corrupting influence of affluence is a brilliant touch. Prince Edward County is a very particular and distinct corner of southeastern Ontario, a place that deserves to be mythologised.-- "Leah McLaren, author of Where You End and I Begin"

Like a finely cut jewel, light reflecting off its many facets and illuminating the love, tensions, and complexities of family, not to mention today's publishing world. I read it in one sitting but didn't want it to end. Brilliant.-- "Terry Fallis, bestselling author of The Marionette"

About the Author

Marianne Ackerman is the author of three novels, two short story collections, and dozens of plays. She spends winters in Montreal and summers in Prince Edward County.