Always Brave, Sometimes Kind

by Katie Bickell

An exciting debut novel told in connected short stories that captures the diverse and complicated networks of people who stretch our communities—sometimes farther than we know.



Set in the cities, reserves, and rural reaches of Alberta, Katie Bickell’s debut novel is told in a series of stories that span the years from 1990 to 2016, through cycles of boom and bust in the oil fields, government budget cuts and workers rights policies, the rising opioid crisis, and the intersecting lives of people whose communities sometimes stretch farther than they know.

We meet a teenage runaway who goes into labour at the West Edmonton Mall, a doctor managing hospital overflow in a time of healthcare cutbacks, a broke dad making extra pay through a phone sex line, a young musician who dreams of fame beyond the reservation, and a dedicated hockey mom grappling with sense of self when she’s no longer needed—or welcome—at the rink.

Always Brave, Sometimes Kind captures a network of friends, caregivers, in-laws, and near misses, with each character’s life coming into greater focus as we learn more about the people around them. Tracing alliances and betrayals from different perspectives over decades, Bickell writes an ode to home and community that is both warm and gritty, well-defined and utterly complicated.

Genres: Fiction, Canada, Adult Fiction, Realistic Fiction

256 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 29, 2020

About the author

Katie Bickell emigrated from England to northern Alberta in 1990. Her fiction has been published in the Tahoma Literary Review and Alberta Views and her essays have appeared in WestWord Magazine, HERizons Magazine, and on The Temper. Chapters from Always Brave, Sometimes Kind have received the Alberta Literary Award’s Howard O’Hagan for Short Story, the Writers Guild of Alberta’s Emerging Writer Award, and won the Alberta Views Fiction Contest. Katie lives in Sherwood Park, Alberta, just outside of Edmonton.

Reviews

[HelenJane Shawyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very satisfying read. When I finished the book, I wanted to reread it immediately. Bickell shows the interconnectedness of our actions and our lives in such a way that this reader desperately wants to chart a family and friends tree. On the second read (yes, I read it twice), I was more aware of the connections and this enabled a different reading experience than the first time. Always clever, Sometimes puzzling. I recommend reading carefully to enjoy the subtlety of some connections. Time for a third reading.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one takes place in rural and urban Alberta, spanning almost three decades. It takes us through the complicated web of lives of some deeply real characters that are struggling and evoke much empathy. Bickell has written a stunning debut with Always Brave, Sometimes Kind. Affecting and thoughtful prose, these linked stories had me emotional and astonished by the end, I had to keep reminding myself this was a debut because wow! The structure and how she puzzled all the characters together was brilliantly done. And the showcasing of a communities progression was impressive and felt very realistic. Short stories have really been my thing this year and this one was one of my favorites so far! Winner of the 2021 Alberta Literary Award and nominated for a couple other Canadian awards, Bickell is one to watch!

Thank You @touchwooded for sending me this one in exchange for an honest review. For more of my book content check out https://www.instagram.com/bookalong

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the stars for this one! It's a must-read!

I literally hugged this book when I finished it! I absolutely loved the short stories format, which was something I wasn't used to. Because each chapter highlighted someone else's story, the stories were fast-paced, which is always a hit for me. There was still plenty of character development, enough so that your heart will break a million times, but in the best possible way. How all the characters seemed to fit together like a puzzle was so beautifully executed and reminded me of the movie Crash.

This is a great book! I recommend it to everyone, especially Canadians, and even more so if you're from Alberta!

I strongly recommend checking out the author's guide to the characters' family trees on her website. It was really helpful!

[Anita Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

With three generations of characters weaving in and out of each other’s lives throughout various chapters that are each set in a different year spanning over a decade, reading this debut novel is not for the lazy reader. If you’re someone who has a hard time remembering names/backstories(🙋🏻‍♀️) it’s possible you’ll be tempted to irritation as you encounter a character you’re clearly supposed to remember from some earlier chapter (Susan!? Which one was Susan?!) and it’s important to be aware of yourself up front so you can choose to let that part go and be present with the story she’s revealing.

And that’s what I love about this novel: the revealing of the characters. Their struggles, fears, hopes, mistakes. Their love and longing and redemption.

Ms. Bickell takes her reader on a journey by telling a human’s close-up story as she slowly backs away to reveal how each of those stories form a complete story of humanity.

What also struck me, as an American, is that Canada - up close - looks strikingly similar.

Thank you, Katie Bickell, you affected my heart, taught me a thing or two about Canadian history, and reminded me that everyone has a story worth hearing.

[Lauren Heppell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This pretzel of a book was such a sweet and sad treat to read, with twists and loops and connections that made it so I couldn’t put it down. Growing up in Edmonton, I recognized the places and the news stories, and felt like I knew at least one of every character. Will definitely get a second read.

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Attention CanLit fans, don't miss this one!

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got my copies (yes, plural) last week! Fought with "life" to make time to read and it has so been worth it. I was met with so many different characters who all quickly became real through Katie Bickell's thoughtful writing. People and stories and connections that are instantly so vivid I have to remind myself I'm reading fiction.

[Sebastian Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fact that the novel jumps back and forth between so many characters and manages to keep you engaged, as well as ensuring that you do not feel like you are missing anything, is surely the mark of a masterful writer. Bickell tells the story of a gaggle of characters, and ties it all off nicely at the end of the book. Strongly recommended.

[Trina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall I enjoyed this book. I did find it confusing when it jumped timelines and characters. I feel like this could have been a little tidier, as it was hard to keep everyone straight.

That being said, I feel like this gave a pretty good depiction of northern Alberta life and some of the issues that people have faced over the years.

[Anne Logan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always Brave, Sometimes Kind by Katie Bickell is described as a novel on the cover, but those who have read it all agree it really comes across more as a collection of linked short stories. There is no one protagonist or central character, instead, we are introduced to a few different people and their family members and friends, most living in and around Edmonton and Northern Alberta. The first chapter sees a tired emergency room doctor struggling to treat patients in an understaffed hospital, then going home to a daughter whose adopted son has been kidnapped. Another chapter introduces us to a young Aboriginal girl with big dreams of becoming a musician, teetering on the precipice of making a bad decision. A Dad who loves his wife and kid, desperate to make ends meet pretends he is a woman to begin working a phone sex line, while a rough-around-the-edges sister makes the ultimate sacrifice to protect her younger, more ‘successful’ sister. The complicated lives of these people is astounding, I felt overburdened simply reading about them, especially knowing that these issues are directly tied to things in Alberta’s past and present; its healthcare cuts, its boom and bust economy based on oil prices, its ongoing racism towards Indigenous people. It’s painful reading about these things because I know they are all too common here.


Despite the sadness, the writing is beautiful. The characters, especially the difficult ones, were all so memorable. I participated in a writers conference this past weekend (as an event host), and the writers I was interviewing all agreed that writing your characters from a place of empathy, even the villains, is a good habit to get into. Clearly Bickell has done just this, I cared about each and every one of them, even as they treated each other badly. The only thing each person had in common was bravery; the bravery to keep going even when things got tough, which for many of them, was all the time. Only some were able to find the space and time to be kind, but it’s this struggle to find kindness that made the book so engaging and realistic. The web that these characters weave with each other is complicated, luckily Bickell has created this family tree to help future readers and book clubs sort it all out. This diagram definitely would have come in handy while I was reading it (I only came across it afterwards) but I still loved the book, even if I couldn’t remember everyone’s connections with each other.

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[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an nice, quick read and it felt very rooted in time and place (Alberta, Canada in the last 50ish years). I liked the inclusion of the Tragically Hip concerts in 2016 (because it was such a powerfully Canadian moment), but it felt a little overworked too.

The weaving together of multiple seemingly unrelated characters with the gradual revelation of their interconnectedness was interesting but only partially successful - it was hard to keep track of some characters’ stories, especially when they reappear towards the eve of the book after an introduction much earlier in the book. Fleshing our some of the stories toward the beginning to make them more memorable up front would have helped, I think. A second read would also be easier to follow, I’m sure.

In spite of these comments, I enjoyed reading the book and would recommend it.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like a Northern Albertan wind in February, this courageous piece of writing exposes the harsh truths of life in modern Canada. Humourous, tender and sensitive, I was completely absorbed within the first few pages. For someone who seldom reads, I absolutely devoured this book. My only regret is not taking notes of who each character is and who they're related to. Definitely worth a second read for that reason alone. Bickell certainly has a way with words. I burst out laughing a couple of times at how profoundly accurate her depictions of Albertan life are. A really beautiful study of the intricate connections between us all.

[Nancy Croth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the "Canadianess' of this book!! There was a kind of comfort in being a part of the backdrop to this story of these intertwined lives of people living in Alberta over the period 1990 to 2016. It also gives a lot of perspective of the toll the oil industry rollercoaster took on the employee, their families and those who relied on the riches of this sector. It's heartbreaking and yet heartwarming as well.
I will admit that I was sometimes confused as to some of the character connections that unfolded over the various segments but that mostly worked itself out.
A great debut by Katie Bickell!

[DeAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my Global Reading Challenge selection for Alberta, Canada. It is a slice of life kind of story that moves through time from the early 1990s through the 2010s, with intersecting characters and interconnected plots, mostly taking place in the Edmonton area. Many themes are explored in this slim novel, many centered around public health. There are stories about reproductive care, opioid addiction, mental health, and dementia. There are also underlying themes about indigenous people and their treatment, farming, education, and immigration. The characters are all flawed but their effect on each other are like ripples through time.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I almost always love a collection of connected short stories. This one lived up to all the hype. The connections between the characters in each story are not that difficult to follow if you are looking for the them.

My only concern as I worked my way through the stories was that there are a lot of Indigenous characters written by a white author in these stories. The characters play important parts in the story and seemed well written to me, but I am not really in a position to judge. I would be interested in hearing different perspectives on this point.

[Mary-Ann Thiessen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good books with many threads and characters. Too many threads though, otherwise I would have rated higher. By the end of the book I couldn't keep it straight. Also, Katie needs to get her research straight on the difference of Mennonites and Hutterites. I found her description of the Leah and her family and her background to be more of the Hutterite culture than Mennonite. My knowledge of this fact is that I am of Mennonite heritage. Common error as I hear this all the time. I hope her telling of the indigenous people is more accurate.

[L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an absolutely AMAZING book.

The author spent an incredibly long time working on this piece and it shows! The writing is hauntingly beautiful and I love how the stories, which seem separate and individual at first, end up weaving together into a beautiful web of interconnection.

While it does get a bit hard to keep track of how one person is related to the next, I personally didn't worry too much about it and figured that was the point of the story. Our own small-town webs are so intricately interwoven, like the books are, that it's impossible to untangle and isn't that the beauty of being apart of a small community?

Definitely something I would consider re-reading, as the message behind each character and their intricate stories is amazing. Well worth a read!

[Rhys · Rating 3 out of 5]

With a wheelbarrel full of characters, the author tells a story to reflect aspects of life - disfunction, courage, desperation, caring, not so caring. It's all there.

And the novel was thoughtfully crafted, but maybe over-crafted. A novel that explores the realities of life like this might need more ambiguity, more inprecision - maybe more magic - to feel right.

This is not to say that there weren't some interesting characters trying to get through.

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very impressed with this novel told in stories. The pieces interlocked together like a puzzle and there were reoccurring themes.

This novel was very Albertan, and covered a lot of time periods. I was impressed by the author's ability to write diverse characters. I feel like she did a lot of research in order to write this book.

[Shaz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked that there were several stories in this book and that they are all connected. I’m from Alberta myself so it was nice to understand the references made to places in the stories as well. Other than that it was meh. I wasn’t blown away or anything but it was entertaining and well thought out in the execution of the interconnectedness.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent, thought-provoking book. Several stories intertwined, with people in different walks and ages of life. This makes us look at the how and why people might end up in their situations. It also makes us take a second look at our initial labels and judgments of those we see and meet.

[Amie Mak · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a master class in character development. The story spans three decades and weaves a series of character interactions together to highlight the interconnectedness of people and the power of community.
Such a great book and highly recommend!

[Janet Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful insights into the world of Alberta, with gently thought provoking observations that encourage us to think about how our world is and how we might like it to be different. From a wonderful writer with a true gift.

[bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harrowing, heartfelt and wonderful. An amazing portrait of some tough folks in some tough towns.

[Vontel]

Had to return to library, will re-request.

[Eva · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and look for ward to buddy reading it and discussing it with the author. I highly recommend it. For my full review check out my Instagram post @pomoevareads as it won’t fit here

[Jessica Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I could give this book WAY more than 5 stars. It was amazing.

[Rose]

Heart wringing stories

[Jennifer Churchill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book creatively goes across generations. Make notes of who is who so your not always looking back.
Highly creative read. Support local authors and try this one!

[Emily Springer · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're Albertan, add this one to your list. Poignantly and accurately captures what it is to be Albertan, in a no-holds-barred way that manages to be gritty and beautiful at the same time.