Amazon.ca First Novel Award

The Amazon.ca First Novel Award, formerly the Books in Canada First Novel Award, is a literary award given annually to the best first novel in English published the previous year by a citizen or resident of Canada. It has been awarded since 1976.

The First Novel Award was founded by the literary magazine Books in Canada. Between 1976 and 1994, the award was sponsored by SmithBooks. During this period, the award was known as the SmithBooks/Books in Canada First Novel Award. When SmithBooks was acquired by Chapters, it became the Chapters/Books in Canada First Novel Award.

The award was reorganized when Books in Canada was acquired by Adrian and Olga Stein in 1995. The Steins retained a first novel editor, introduced a comprehensive first novel review program, and formalized the adjudication process. In 1999, the magazine decided to end its affiliation with Chapters and became the Amazon.ca/Books in Canada First Novel Award. The Amazon.com arrangement saw the prize award doubled to $10,000.

The award was sold to Amazon.com in 2009 and its name was changed to the current incarnation.

Winners and nominees

Year	Winner	Nominated
1976	Ian McLachlan, The Seventh Hexagram Michael Ondaatje, Coming Through Slaughter	Alice Boissoneau, Eileen McCullough David Kellum, The Falling World of Tristram Pocket Susan Kerslake, Middlewatch Sharon Riis, The True Story of Ida Johnson Carol Shields, Small Ceremonies Mary Soderstrom, The Descent of Andrew McPherson
1977	Oonah McFee, Sandbars	Shane Dennison, Sidehill Gouger Pauline Gedge, Child of the Morning Jack Hodgins, The Invention of the World M.T. Kelly, I Do Remember the Fall Helen Levi, A Small Informal Dance Morley Torgov, The Abramsky Variations
1978	Joan Barfoot, Abra	Michael Dorland, The Double-Cross Circuit Clive Doucet, Disneyland, Please Margaret Drury Gane, Parade on an Empty Street Kevin Major, Hold Fast Frank Paci, The Italians
1979	Clark Blaise, Lunar Attractions	Victoria Branden, Mrs. Job Stan Dragland, Peckertracks Florence Evans, A Man Without Passion Shirley Faessler, Everything in the Window Katherine Govier, Random Descent Betty Lambert, Crossings
1980	W.D. Valgardson, Gentle Sinners	Martyn Burke, Laughing War Susan Musgrave, The Charcoal Burners Graham Petrie, Seahorse Leon Rooke, Fat Woman
1981	Joy Kogawa, Obasan	Jim Christy, Streethearts George Jonas, Final Decree Edward O. Phillips, Sunday's Child Gary Ross, Always Tip the Dealer
1982	W.P. Kinsella, Shoeless Joe	Lorris Elliott, Coming for to Carry Nessa Rapoport, Preparing for Sabbath Geraldine Rahmani, Blue Ann Rosenberg, The Bee Book
1983	Heather Robertson, Willie: A Romance	Robert G. Collins, Tolerable Levels of Violence Susan Swan, The Biggest Modern Woman in the World George Szanto, Not Working Wayne Tefs, Figures on a Wharf
1984	Geoffrey Ursell, Perdue, or How the West Was Lost	Sharon Butala, Country of the Heart Douglas Glover, Precious John Gray, Dazzled Sara Stambaugh, I Hear the Reaper's Song Armin Wiebe, The Salvation of Yasch Siemens
1985	Wayne Johnston, The Story of Bobby O'Malley	Susan Charlotte Haley, A Nest of Singing Birds Ann Ireland, A Certain Mr. Takahashi Frank Jones, Master and Maid Robert Walshe, Wales' Work
1986	Karen Lawrence, The Life of Helen Alone	Jo Anne Williams Bennett, Downfall People Marc Diamond, Momentum David Gilmour, Back on Tuesday Paulette Jiles, The Late Great Human Road Show
1987	Marion Quednau, The Butterfly Chair	D.F. Bailey, Fire Eyes W.D. Barcus, Squatters' Island Pauline Holdstock, The Blackbird's Song Seán Virgo, Selakhi
1988	Rick Salutin, A Man of Little Faith	Neil Bissoondath, A Casual Brutality Joan Clark, The Victory of Geraldine Gull David Homel, Electrical Storms Janice Kulyk Keefer, Constellations Helen Fogwill Porter, January, February, June or July
1989	Sandra Birdsell, The Missing Child	Marilyn Bowering, To All Appearances a Lady Barry Callaghan, The Way the Angel Spread Her Wings Jacqueline Dumas, Madeleine and the Angel Kristjana Gunnars, The Prowler Kenneth Radu, Distant Relations
1990	Nino Ricci, Lives of the Saints	Gail Bowen, Deadly Appearances Rita Donovan, The Dark Jewels Glen Huser, Grace Lake Margot Livesey, Homework Carsten Stroud, Sniper's Moon
1991	Rohinton Mistry, Such a Long Journey	Douglas Coupland, Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture Ekbert Faas, Woyzeck's Head Michael Kenyon, Kleinberg Alberto Manguel, News From a Foreign Country Came
1992	John Steffler, The Afterlife of George Cartwright	Douglas Anthony Cooper, Amnesia Carole Corbeil, Voice-Over Kenneth J. Harvey, Brud Greg Hollingshead, Spin Dry
1993	Deborah Joy Corey, Losing Eddie	Catherine Bush, Minus Time Don Dickinson, The Crew Douglas How, Blow Up the Trumpet in the New Moon Carol Malyon, If I Knew I'd Tell You
1994	Shyam Selvadurai, Funny Boy	Charles Foran, Kitchen Music Diane Schoemperlen, In the Language of Love Russell Smith, How Insensitive Cordelia Strube, Alex & Zee
1995	Keath Fraser, Popular Anatomy	Diana Atkinson, Highways and Dancehalls Wayson Choy, The Jade Peony Larissa Lai, When Fox Is a Thousand Yan Li, Daughters of the Red Land
1996	Anne Michaels, Fugitive Pieces	Gail Anderson-Dargatz, The Cure for Death by Lightning Ann-Marie MacDonald, Fall on Your Knees Yann Martel, Self Shani Mootoo, Cereus Blooms at Night
1997	Margaret Gibson, Opium Dreams	Kim Echlin, Elephant Winter Allan Levine, The Blood Libel Rabindranath Maharaj, Homer in Flight Tim Wynveen, Angel Falls
1998	André Alexis, Childhood	Loranne Brown, The Handless Maiden Tomson Highway, Kiss of the Fur Queen Terry Jordan, Beneath That Starry Place Kerri Sakamoto, The Electrical Field
1999	David Macfarlane, Summer Gone Alan R. Wilson, Before the Flood	Alistair MacLeod, No Great Mischief Donna Morrissey, Kit's Law Jim Munroe, Flyboy Action Figure Comes with Gasmask Catherine Simmons-Niven, A Fine Daughter
2000	Eva Stachniak, Necessary Lies	Steven Galloway, Finnie Walsh Scott Gardiner, The Dominion of Wyley McFadden Susan Juby, Alice, I Think Lydia Kwa, This Place Called Absence
2001	Michael Redhill, Martin Sloane	Dennis Bock, The Ash Garden Michael Crummey, River Thieves Marina Endicott, Open Arms Linda Little, Strong Hollow Elizabeth Ruth, Ten Good Seconds of Silence
2002	Mary Lawson, Crow Lake	Christy Ann Conlin, Heave Aislinn Hunter, Stay Clint Hutzulak, The Beautiful Dead End Michael V. Smith, Cumberland Marnie Woodrow, Spelling Mississippi
2003	Michel Basilières, Black Bird	Clayton Bailey, The Expedition John Bemrose, The Island Walkers Lisa Grekul, Kalyna's Song Bettina von Kampen, Blue Becomes You Edeet Ravel, Ten Thousand Lovers
2004	Colin McAdam, Some Great Thing	David Elias, Sunday Afternoon Ibi Kaslik, Skinny Arthur Motyer, What's Remembered Catherine Safer, Bishop's Road
2005	Joseph Boyden, Three Day Road	Howard Akler, The City Man Brenda Brooks, Gotta Find Me an Angel Anne Giardini, The Sad Truth About Happiness Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer, The Nettle Spinner B. Glen Rotchin, The Rent Collector
2006	Madeleine Thien, Certainty	Peter Behrens, The Law of Dreams John Degen, The Uninvited Guest Annette Lapointe, Stolen Heather O'Neill, Lullabies for Little Criminals Adam Lewis Schroeder, Empress of Asia
2007	Gil Adamson, The Outlander	David Chariandy, Soucouyant Kyo Maclear, The Letter Opener C.S. Richardson, The End of the Alphabet Brian Tucker, Big White Knuckles Andrew Wedderburn, The Milk Chicken Bomb
2008	Joan Thomas, Reading by Lightning	Michael Blouin, Chase & Haven Claudia Dey, Stunt Patrick Lane, Red Dog, Red Dog Mary Swan, The Boys in the Trees
2009	Jessica Grant, Come, Thou Tortoise	Diana Fitzgerald Bryden, No Place Strange Annabel Lyon, The Golden Mean Damian Tarnopolsky, Goya's Dog Dragan Todorović, Diary of Interrupted Days Ian Weir, Daniel O'Thunder
2010	Eleanor Catton, The Rehearsal	Shaughnessy Bishop-Stall, Ghosted Miguel Syjuco, Ilustrado Kathleen Winter, Annabel Dianne Warren, Cool Water
2011	David Bezmozgis, The Free World	Fraser Nixon, The Man Who Killed Sina Queyras, Autobiography of Childhood Olive Senior, Dancing Lessons Alexi Zentner, Touch
2012	Anakana Schofield, Malarky	Marjorie Celona, Y Scott Fotheringham, The Rest Is Silence Pasha Malla, People Park Kim Thúy, Ru
2013	Wayne Grady, Emancipation Day	Kenneth Bonert, The Lion Seeker Krista Bridge, The Eliot Girls Susan Downe, Juanita Wildrose: My True Life D. W. Wilson, Ballistics
2014	Alix Hawley, All True Not a Lie in It	Emma Hooper, Etta and Otto and Russell and James Sean Michaels, Us Conductors Guillaume Morissette, New Tab Chelsea Rooney, Pedal

External links

• First Novel Award at Amazon.ca
• Official Books in Canada website (last updated December 2006)