An Evening with Alison Pick

Last evening, the Friends of the Guelph Public Library presented a reading and discussion with award winning author, Alison Pick. This young Canadian author, who graduated from the University of Guelph, won the Jewish Award for Fiction and was long-listed for the man Booker Prize.

While I have not read any of her four books, I was very impressed by the back story behind Far to Go. The book has echoes of her own family history and alternates between 1939 and the present. The historical novel follows a Czechoslovakian family as they send their children to safety in a rescue mission known as the Kindertransport.

When asked about her writing journey, Pick told us she loves writing and experiences it as a pleasure not a discipline. She writes the first draft longhand and then transcribes to the computer. She did extensive research before writing Far to Go and, according to many audience members, she did an excellent job of weaving the research seamlessly into the plot.