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Oyster
Not yet published
Expected 10 Feb 26The mysterious death of a patriarch brings the far-flung Cameron family home to Prince Edward County, sending their familiar world into a tailspin.
When their father’s sudden death brings Toronto novelist Amelia Cameron and her three siblings together in Prince Edward County for his funeral, the ancient family dynamic crumbles. First, the will — not what anybody expected. Then Amelia’s beautiful young niece Ginny, an aspiring writer, begs her famous aunt for advice, leading to an innocent bit of typing that brings them to the brink of scandal.
Steeped in the legendary county’s urge to sweep gossip under the carpet and tamp down high emotion, a family is called to account by events they cannot control. Narrated by Amelia, this is a coming-of-age journey and a big love story, in spite of the teller’s best efforts to avoid emotional truths. An insider’s take on the clash of town and country, Oyster is a warm-hearted tale full of humour and site-specific observation.
When their father’s sudden death brings Toronto novelist Amelia Cameron and her three siblings together in Prince Edward County for his funeral, the ancient family dynamic crumbles. First, the will — not what anybody expected. Then Amelia’s beautiful young niece Ginny, an aspiring writer, begs her famous aunt for advice, leading to an innocent bit of typing that brings them to the brink of scandal.
Steeped in the legendary county’s urge to sweep gossip under the carpet and tamp down high emotion, a family is called to account by events they cannot control. Narrated by Amelia, this is a coming-of-age journey and a big love story, in spite of the teller’s best efforts to avoid emotional truths. An insider’s take on the clash of town and country, Oyster is a warm-hearted tale full of humour and site-specific observation.
- GenresFiction
244 pages, Paperback
Expected publication February 10, 2026
2 people are currently reading
4701 people want to read
About the author
Marianne Ackerman
13 books32 followersBorn in Ontario, citizen of Montreal since the Eighties. Three published novels, 2 short story collections, and a dozen plays including Triplex Nervosa, to be published spring 2020 by Guernica Editions as Triplex Nervosa Trilogy, with an introduction about the slings and arrows of writing for theatre: Where do plays come from? Where do they go?
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 14, 2025
Thanks to @netgalley and @dundurnpress for the advance copy.
The death of Amelia (Millie) Cameron's father is a pivotal point in her life....one that unleashes the good, the bad, and the unexpected. Between finishing her next book, supporting her niece as she writes her first novel, managing the many dimensions of her relationships with her 3 siblings, and figuring out what she really wants from her relationship with her book agent and on-again, off-again love interest, Millie navigates through it all with the mind of a writer trying to find the plot point. There were points when I wondered where the plot was going myself, but ultimately I was always rooting for Millie and hoping she'd figure it out. The book format is a bit unconventional in that the conversations between characters aren't written with quotation marks, so you have to really pay attention to decipher whether what you're reading is Millie's thoughts or something another character has said. But all in all, a great read and very relatable for anyone who has lost their parents and tried to navigate their relationships with their siblings in a post-parent reality.
The death of Amelia (Millie) Cameron's father is a pivotal point in her life....one that unleashes the good, the bad, and the unexpected. Between finishing her next book, supporting her niece as she writes her first novel, managing the many dimensions of her relationships with her 3 siblings, and figuring out what she really wants from her relationship with her book agent and on-again, off-again love interest, Millie navigates through it all with the mind of a writer trying to find the plot point. There were points when I wondered where the plot was going myself, but ultimately I was always rooting for Millie and hoping she'd figure it out. The book format is a bit unconventional in that the conversations between characters aren't written with quotation marks, so you have to really pay attention to decipher whether what you're reading is Millie's thoughts or something another character has said. But all in all, a great read and very relatable for anyone who has lost their parents and tried to navigate their relationships with their siblings in a post-parent reality.
December 3, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ // The Oyster by Marianne Ackerman
The Oyster is the kind of novel that feels deceptively small at first—a tight little shell of a story until you crack it open and realize there’s an entire aching ecosystem inside. Ackerman writes with a sly, observational sharpness, the kind that makes every interaction feel like it’s balancing between comedy and quiet devastation.
What really works is how she captures internal introspection: the unspoken negotiations we make with ourselves, the compromises we pretend not to notice, the low-grade yearning humming beneath ordinary days. Her characters feel like people you’ve met in passing; complicated, flawed, and just opaque enough to be intriguing. And the writing is clean in that satisfying, confident way where nothing is wasted and everything glints just a little.
If it doesn’t land a full five stars, it’s only because the emotional distance can sometimes feel a touch too cool; there are moments where you want a deeper plunge, a crack in the shell a bit wider. Still, what Ackerman does give is elegant, smart, and sneakily poignant.
A memorable, understated gem of a book—quiet but lingering, like the aftertaste of brine on your tongue
The Oyster is the kind of novel that feels deceptively small at first—a tight little shell of a story until you crack it open and realize there’s an entire aching ecosystem inside. Ackerman writes with a sly, observational sharpness, the kind that makes every interaction feel like it’s balancing between comedy and quiet devastation.
What really works is how she captures internal introspection: the unspoken negotiations we make with ourselves, the compromises we pretend not to notice, the low-grade yearning humming beneath ordinary days. Her characters feel like people you’ve met in passing; complicated, flawed, and just opaque enough to be intriguing. And the writing is clean in that satisfying, confident way where nothing is wasted and everything glints just a little.
If it doesn’t land a full five stars, it’s only because the emotional distance can sometimes feel a touch too cool; there are moments where you want a deeper plunge, a crack in the shell a bit wider. Still, what Ackerman does give is elegant, smart, and sneakily poignant.
A memorable, understated gem of a book—quiet but lingering, like the aftertaste of brine on your tongue
November 18, 2025
fun and interesting short book with some good plotting and interesting vibes. would definitely recommend this one. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews