Michael Kaan Wins 2018 First Novel Award Presented by Amazon Canada and The Walrus

Author of The Water Beetles receives $40,000 and this year's award from a shortlist of first-time novelists

Robin de Valk-Zaiss wins inaugural Youth Author short-fiction category and $5,000

SEATTLE, May 22, 2018 /CNW/ - Amazon Canada presented Michael Kaan as the winner of the 2018 Amazon Canada First Novel Award (www.amazon.ca/firstnovelaward), which celebrates the remarkable achievement of a first-time Canadian novelist. Kaan's novel, The Water Beetles (Goose Lane Editions), earned him the title of the 2018 Amazon Canada First Novel Award winner and $40,000. The 42nd annual award ceremony was held today at the Toronto Reference Library in Toronto and hosted by CBC's The Next Chapter radio host, Shelagh Rogers. Michael Kaan was born in Winnipeg, the second child of a father from Hong Kong and a Canadian mother.

The Water Beetles is set in December 1941. As the Empire of Japan invades Hong Kong, the Leung family is dragged into a spiral of violence, repression, and starvation. To survive, they entomb themselves and their friends in the Leung mansion. But this is only a temporary reprieve, and the Leungs are forced to send their children away. The youngest boy, Chung-Man, escapes with some of his siblings, and together they travel deep into the countryside to avoid the Japanese invaders. Thrown into a new world, Chung-Man must survive the horrors of war that await him. Based loosely on the diaries and stories of the author's father, this mesmerizing story captures a child's-eye view of war with unsettling and unerring grace.

Kaan's book was chosen from a shortlist of six, which included The Boat People by Sharon Bala (McClelland & Stewart), The Bone Mother by David Demchuk (ChiZine Publications), American War by Omar El Akkad (McClelland & Stewart), Dazzle Patterns by Alison Watt (Freehand Books) and The Black Peacock by Rachel Manley (Cormorant Books). This year's panel of judges was composed of distinguished writers Irene Gammel, Dimitri Nasrallah, and Donna Bailey Nurse.

"It's so wonderful to know that the Canadian literary imagination is thriving from coast to coast," said Donna Bailey Nurse. "These books encourage Canadians to look inward at themselves and outward at others: a shortlist that confirms we are the world." Irene Gammel praised the books' impressive empathy and range: "Collectively, these novels take the reader through violence, trauma, and grief, but they also return us to the fierce love and passion and resilience that are part of the human condition." Dimitri Nasrallah remarked on the increasing diversity and self-awareness evinced by the shortlisted books, saying, "It's encouraging to see more and more writers of different backgrounds finally find their way onto the page. The health of our literature is, more than ever, held together by a resurgent independent publishing community that spans from coast-to-coast."

New to the awards this year is the addition of the Youth Author Award category. Authors between the ages of thirteen and seventeen were invited to submit a short story under 3,000 words. Seventeen year old Robin de Valk-Zaiss was chosen by the First Novel Award's esteemed panel of judges as the inaugural winner. The prize for her winning short story, Robin Bird, is $5,000 and a mentorship lunch with editors of The Walrus. Due to the number of excellent submissions, Amazon extended invitations to three Youth Author Honourees to attend tonight's ceremony.

"This year's awards are extremely special. Not only are we celebrating the win of a fantastic first-time author, Michael Kaan, we are also celebrating young Canadian writers, giving them a platform to share their work," said Alexandre Gagnon, Vice President, Amazon Canada and Amazon Mexico. "For over a decade, Amazon Canada has been a part of the First Novel Award and with the launch of the Youth Author Award, we are continuing to expand our support for Canadian literature. I am honoured to congratulate both the youth authors and first-time novelists for their contributions and look forward to many more years recognizing talented and emerging Canadian authors."

Established in 1976, the First Novel Award program has launched and heralded the careers of some of Canada's most beloved novelists. Previous winners include Michael Ondaatje, Joy Kogawa, Rohinton Mistry, Shyam Selvadurai, Anne Michaels, André Alexis, Michael Redhill, Michel Basilières, Madeleine Thien, Gil Adamson, Eleanor Catton, David Bezmozgis, Anakana Schofield, and Wayne Grady.

For additional information about the finalists and the Amazon Canada First Novel Award, visit www.amazon.ca/firstnovelaward or thewalrus.ca/amazonfirstnovelaward.

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About The Walrus
The Walrus provokes new thinking and sparks conversation on matters vital to Canadians. As a registered charity we publish independent, fact-based journalism in The Walrus and at thewalrus.ca; we produce national, ideas-focused events, including our flagship series The Walrus Talks; and we train emerging professionals in publishing and non-profit management. The Walrus is invested in the idea that a healthy society relies on informed citizens.

SOURCE Amazon Canada

For further information: Kristen Schaffrath, NATIONAL Public Relations, [email protected], 416-848-1704