ATHABASCA – From podcasts to true crime YouTube videos, modern day society has proven it still loves a good ‘whodunnit’ as much as it ever has.
This year’s One Book One Community (OBOC) novel, In The Dark We Forget, by Sandra S.G. Wong, put a psychological twist on the question, challenging readers to think about memory, family, and more as part of the annual campaign.
“We really wanted to engage a larger audience and try to reach male and female readers of all ages,” said Cheryl Andrews, the Alice B. Donahue Library and Archives former events coordinator. “We wanted to find a mystery and obviously we were looking for a Canadian author that could potentially come to the community to talk about their book.”
The OBOC committee found that author in Wong, an Edmontonian writer who’s been recognized as a force in the Canadian crime writing community. As part of the campaign, Wong visited Athabasca Nov. 9 for a “mini-festival,” which included a local art show, writing workshop, and author talk about her latest novel.
“Everybody was excited to have her here and she was really excited to be here, which was cool,” said Ariel Johnson, Athabasca’s head librarian.
“When the author is here in person, you get to know their personality and you get to know them. It makes the book more personal when you read it, and you understand where they’re coming from when you hear from them first-hand.”
Wong’s novel focuses on a Chinese-Canadian family whose parents have vanished after winning the lottery. After waking up with amnesia alongside a mountain highway, the protagonist works to regain her memory and identity.
“The parents don’t show up in the novel, per se, but their impact and effects do. Family is a big theme that I like to explore in my writing, and I think that memories and family play really well together as themes,” said Wong.
Through the author discussion and community conversations, staff members at the library saw the community’s understanding of the piece deepen and grow. Johnson said many people came into the events with very binary views before hearing what their peers had to say.
“By the end, I think people really got it had a deeper understanding of the book. I think the author chat really helped people understand the themes of identity and memory loss as opposed to it just being another murder mystery,” said Johnson.
The author talk was also the highlight of Wong’s one-day trip to Athabasca. Hosted by former Athabasca radio jockey Heather Seefried, who Wong praised for her ability to make her feel comfortable and confident when answering questions.
“She was an amazing interviewer, she was so fun and she asked really good questions that allowed me to talk about the themes and the book,” said Wong.
Wong also praised the library for all the work it was doing, noting that public libraries are huge supporters of writers, and their communities in general.
“We don’t make a lot of money, most of us, so it’s just wonderful when public libraries purchase our books and support us,” said Wong, who was the Edmonton Public Library’s featured writer in 2017.
“I love libraries and I will always support them. Having a public library host this and be behind this is really special for sure.”
Next year’s book is still to be determined, but Wong said the OBOC experience was something she would recommend to any author.
“It’s a rare opportunity and a privilege. Absolutely, anyone should 100 per cent do it.”
