Apparently I’m the last person to read Elizabeth Hay’s “Late Nights on Air”, it’s already a #1 Canadian Bestseller and it picked up the 2007 Giller Prize. For the two of you who haven’t read it yet, I offer this glowing review.

Elizabeth Hay’s depiction of  life at Yellowknife’s remote CBC radio station is lyrical – her writing is incredibly beautiful, evocative and moving; it’s as close to poetry as prose can get. The characters are easy to slip into and out of, written full of passion and feeling and layers of motivation that make each one a fascinating study. Her writing is so fluid that most of the time I wasn’t even aware I was reading – I felt like I was experiencing their lives.

I can’t recommend this one enough. It’s a total standout in my recent reading pile, heads and above anything I’ve read in years. Completely deserving of the accolades. Natasha’s next on the reading list, but I think I’ll be putting my copy of the book into many people’s hands.

Extra kudos to Elizabeth Hay for being an Ottawa writer – fantastic that such a huge talent comes from our neck of the woods.