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Some People's Children
BRONZE, The MIRAMICHI READER'S 'THE VERY BEST FICTION AWARD'
49th Shelf Editor's Pick
Imogene Tubbs has never met her father, and raised by her grandmother, she only sees her mother sporadically. But as she grows older, she learns that many people in her small, rural town believe her father is Cecil Jesso, the local drug dealer--a man both feared and ridiculed. Weaving through a maze of gossip, community, and the complications of family, Some People's Children is a revealing and liberating novel about the way others look at us and the power of self-discovery.
49th Shelf Editor's Pick
Imogene Tubbs has never met her father, and raised by her grandmother, she only sees her mother sporadically. But as she grows older, she learns that many people in her small, rural town believe her father is Cecil Jesso, the local drug dealer--a man both feared and ridiculed. Weaving through a maze of gossip, community, and the complications of family, Some People's Children is a revealing and liberating novel about the way others look at us and the power of self-discovery.
- GenresCanada
328 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 17, 2020
8 people are currently reading
215 people want to read
About the author
Bridget Canning
4 books43 followersBridget Canning's debut novel, The Greatest Hits of Wanda Jaynes (Breakwater Books, 2017), was a finalist for the BMO Winterset Award, the Margaret and John Savage First Book (Fiction) Award, the Newfoundland and Labrador Book Award (fiction), and long-listed for the Dublin International Book Award. In 2018, it won a bronze IPPY award for Best Fiction, Canada East. It is currently being adapted for film.
Bridget's second novel, Some People's Children, was published in March of 2020. It has been named a finalist for the Thomas Raddell Award, the BMO Winterset Award and a winner in the fiction category of The Miramichi Reader's The Very Best Book Awards, 2020.
Her third book and first short story collection, No One Knows about Us was published with Breakwater Books in the fall of 2022.
Bridget grew up in Highlands, NL and currently lives in St. John's where she writes and teaches.
Bridget's second novel, Some People's Children, was published in March of 2020. It has been named a finalist for the Thomas Raddell Award, the BMO Winterset Award and a winner in the fiction category of The Miramichi Reader's The Very Best Book Awards, 2020.
Her third book and first short story collection, No One Knows about Us was published with Breakwater Books in the fall of 2022.
Bridget grew up in Highlands, NL and currently lives in St. John's where she writes and teaches.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
January 21, 2021
So heartbreaking and so very heartwarming. I loved every page of this book.
I liked everything about this.
Was the unrealistic idea of warm and fuzzy perfectly over balanced with the real world cold and blurry? Yes
Was explicit language and violence perfectly in keeping with time, place, character and plot? Fuck yes.
Will I recommend this to anybody? Yes. Absolutely everybody.
I liked everything about this.
Was the unrealistic idea of warm and fuzzy perfectly over balanced with the real world cold and blurry? Yes
Was explicit language and violence perfectly in keeping with time, place, character and plot? Fuck yes.
Will I recommend this to anybody? Yes. Absolutely everybody.
March 6, 2022
I absolutely adore this book. The characters are wonderful and the storytelling is so, so rich. I may be a little biased because I also grew up in rural Newfoundland as a red headed misfit who eventually moved to town for school, but this was a wonderful read. I am emotional and now have a book hangover.
April 17, 2023
Such a vivid book. I adored every single detail.
October 27, 2021
I have a lot of feelings about this book. One is that everyone should read it.
April 29, 2022
Engaging story and characters. Immy is all of us… just trying to fit in, figure out who she is and make family proud in their little corner of the world. Who doesn’t love a saucy character! I was instantly drawn into the setting. It felt completely like a remote Newfoundland community without feeling like it was being hyped up for a tourism ad. The school experience and after school hangout scene could have been mine or anyone’s outside the overpass. I will definitely read more from Canning!
I own it
I own it
September 12, 2020
I just finished this book and Bridget nailed it! As a person who grew up in NL during the 80’s and 90’s, I felt like I was brought back in time. She captured all the elements, both the good and the not so good. Once I picked this book up, I couldn’t put it down! Fabulous!
April 12, 2021
This was a really amazing read. Great book. Great!
November 25, 2023
Imogene Tubbs is such an authentic and lively character that throughout the book I felt as though I was listening to an old friend catch me up on her life. The references to towns and cities that I called home and places I've visited made this novel feel so real and alive. Imogene's story reminds me of so many small town stories I've heard through rumor and cautioning tales. This is a must read for anyone who is a fan of a coming of age story, especially ones that are more rough around the edges. I have to echo Lisa Moore's review on the cover; "It's magnificent."
December 3, 2021
Excellent, great portrayal of outport NL and the interconnections that spread across the island. Wonderful writing and absorbing story.
February 27, 2022
Excellent read, hard to put down.
Read
August 13, 2021Review of Canning, Bridget. 2020. Some People’s Children. St. John’s, NL: Breakwater. ISBN 978-1-55081-812-3
Another great novel from Breakwater.
I was quite taken with the story, and finished the book in record time (for me). Not just the story, of course, the delivery and writing as well.
In particular I was struck by the matter-of-factness of the narrative. The protagonist is Imogene Tubbs, who is being raised by her grandmother; her mother lives in Toronto with her boyfriend and seldom visits her rural Newfoundland home town. Worthy of note here is that the story is unashamedly Newfoundland. Geography, landmarks and people, from the fictional village of St. Felix’s to St. John’s are without masks. If you know the island or the city even a little, you are drawn into the story. (There is a Felix Cove in Western NL, about the right distance from St. John’s for the story, but St. Felix’s doesn’t come up in a search.) Anyway, this is the second novel in a row that the setting in very local. Not too long ago, not many publishers would take a chance on such parochialism, but it works for me, and obviously for Breakwater.
Anyway, back to the matter-of-fact narrative. Like in Dian Day’s The Clock of Heaven (Inanna 2008), this is the story of a young woman who is propelled along an improbable lifeway that is outside of her control.
Imogene Tubbs’s birth mother is mostly absent physically, though very present on the page. She gave birth while still a teenager, and Imogene is being raised by her grandmother. Imogene’s biological father is the subject of cruel village speculation that causes her no end of embarrassment and victimization by smartass boys and thoughtless gossip mongers. Whether the father was an itinerate labourer (an adult) who flew to coop after only a short time and who does not likely know about Imogene, or was instead a local ne’re-do-well with a history of not only drug and alcohol abuse, but of bootlegging and other sometimes not-so-petty crimes, also an adult at the time of Imogene’s conception. Either way, Imogene is the product of sex with a minor. We know it, and the courts know it as rape, whatever the locals think.
I thought the tale was original, nicely paced and with a satisfyingly predictable conclusion.
Highly recommended.
Another great novel from Breakwater.
I was quite taken with the story, and finished the book in record time (for me). Not just the story, of course, the delivery and writing as well.
In particular I was struck by the matter-of-factness of the narrative. The protagonist is Imogene Tubbs, who is being raised by her grandmother; her mother lives in Toronto with her boyfriend and seldom visits her rural Newfoundland home town. Worthy of note here is that the story is unashamedly Newfoundland. Geography, landmarks and people, from the fictional village of St. Felix’s to St. John’s are without masks. If you know the island or the city even a little, you are drawn into the story. (There is a Felix Cove in Western NL, about the right distance from St. John’s for the story, but St. Felix’s doesn’t come up in a search.) Anyway, this is the second novel in a row that the setting in very local. Not too long ago, not many publishers would take a chance on such parochialism, but it works for me, and obviously for Breakwater.
Anyway, back to the matter-of-fact narrative. Like in Dian Day’s The Clock of Heaven (Inanna 2008), this is the story of a young woman who is propelled along an improbable lifeway that is outside of her control.
Imogene Tubbs’s birth mother is mostly absent physically, though very present on the page. She gave birth while still a teenager, and Imogene is being raised by her grandmother. Imogene’s biological father is the subject of cruel village speculation that causes her no end of embarrassment and victimization by smartass boys and thoughtless gossip mongers. Whether the father was an itinerate labourer (an adult) who flew to coop after only a short time and who does not likely know about Imogene, or was instead a local ne’re-do-well with a history of not only drug and alcohol abuse, but of bootlegging and other sometimes not-so-petty crimes, also an adult at the time of Imogene’s conception. Either way, Imogene is the product of sex with a minor. We know it, and the courts know it as rape, whatever the locals think.
I thought the tale was original, nicely paced and with a satisfyingly predictable conclusion.
Highly recommended.
April 11, 2023
I think my gaydar might be broken. Some of the stuff in this book I didn't see coming at all. I'll get that fixed first thing tomorrow.
Right. About the actual book.
I love it. Canning writes about coming of age in a place where everybody knows each other with a decent amount of fluffy warmth, never ignoring the harshness of the world that's out there. And she brings it all together, the experience of maturing and all that comes with it. Be that first crushes, first sexual encounters, first attempts at alcohol or cigarettes, or whatever else it takes to kill the time living in the end of the world.
The more Imogene grows into an adult, the less simple the world around her seems to become, be that in the shape of forming relationships with others or discovering more about herself. Working out her very own identity, where she's from, where she's going. It's easily the hardest task most of us keep on facing in life, which might be why Some People's Children spoke to me the way it did.
Right. About the actual book.
I love it. Canning writes about coming of age in a place where everybody knows each other with a decent amount of fluffy warmth, never ignoring the harshness of the world that's out there. And she brings it all together, the experience of maturing and all that comes with it. Be that first crushes, first sexual encounters, first attempts at alcohol or cigarettes, or whatever else it takes to kill the time living in the end of the world.
The more Imogene grows into an adult, the less simple the world around her seems to become, be that in the shape of forming relationships with others or discovering more about herself. Working out her very own identity, where she's from, where she's going. It's easily the hardest task most of us keep on facing in life, which might be why Some People's Children spoke to me the way it did.
May 30, 2021
Some People's Children is a coming-of-age story set in rural Newfoundland in the 1990s. The premise is right up my alley. The writing is excellent, the story had me interested, but it's like the characters just didn't do it for me. While I did like the book, I can't say it had me feeling any special kinda way.
September 25, 2020
There was nothing I liked about this book.
Did I expect a warm, fuzzy read, No.
Did I expect a story that needs a Content advisory for MA- Language and Violence, No.
Will I recommend this book to anybody, No.
Did I expect a warm, fuzzy read, No.
Did I expect a story that needs a Content advisory for MA- Language and Violence, No.
Will I recommend this book to anybody, No.
January 3, 2022
A good, easy read about the not so rosy side of life especially in rural NL. The story is relatable and genuine. Definitely a book I’d recommend to someone looking for a good read or a read to get someone out of a reading slump.
October 22, 2022
I just couldn't get into this...the characters weren't speaking to me. It's well constructed, and I'm sure it will click with other readers, but for me...this book and I were just two ships that passed in the night.
March 14, 2025
Kinda fell flat for me. Not alot happened and the book ended with unanswered questions. I'm a newfoundland so I enjoyed the newfie dialect and phrases. I just wanted more from this one. However, the writing was great and an easy read.
December 22, 2020
I couldn’t put this book down. A real page turner!
November 8, 2021
Best book of 2021. The writing is brilliant and the imagery is on point.
November 14, 2021
Absolutely loved this book! Parts definitely stood out as coming from my teenage and young adult life!! Excited to read more by her!
July 7, 2022
I liked this book ... but it is 50 pages too long. I got tired of Imogene's angst.
August 16, 2024
Imogene lives up the road from a piece of shit drug-dealer who may be her father, and her mother’s rapist.
Bridget Canning’s novel, Some People’s Children, describes teenaged Imogene’s experiences in the fictional Newfoundland town of St. Felix, and her young adulthood in St. John’s and relies on her capacity for detailed and thought-provoking scenes that will also appeal to an adult audience.
Imogene’s mother, Maggie, was 14 at the time of her conception so she left Imogene behind in St. Felix, to live with her boyfriend in Ontario. Imogene is raised by Nan, her saucy grandmother. Gossip flourishes in St. Felix so she has few hiding spots, but it’s other people’s secrets that will reveal the identity of her Father that really intrigue her.
Canning uses local dialect in the dialogue and happily does not tell readers how to feel about her characters, who are complex and often not entirely likeable. The following quote is about a character briefly introduced as another classmate, his character does not bear significance to the story, and this line is so evoking.
“Quincy, who speaks like he’s been practicing his sentences all day. Quincy, who has trouble keeping eye contact and will focus on a spot just above or beside your head”.
Canning uses the third-person perspective to help us understand Imogene, employing quick italicized snippets of Imogene’s thoughts for more reliable character narration. This omniscient view of the story leaves room for readers to form their own opinions.
Canning describes the eighties and nineties perfectly, uses rich description and language of several historical moments in Newfoundland with sensory detail. “The CBC reporter moves the camera to follow the culvert, now fully free. It twists and begins rolling down the river, pushed by the flood of ice, out towards the bay. It’s like watching a toilet paper tube crush an ant path. Imogene feels her eyes widen at the spectacle, the pure destruction of it. Go, dirty culvert, go.”
The final chapters take place in St. Johns, but the ending is too quickly paced, and the dialogue overdone. Still, the novel’s ending is … satisfying. As a reader, breaking away from the world of St. Felix was done reluctantly. I see why there is such hope and excitement for Canning’s future works.
Some People’s Children is Canning’s second novel, a finalist for 2020 BMO Winterset Award and the Thomas Raddall Award. Her debut novel The Greatest Hits of Wanda Jaynes was a finalist for 2017 BMO Winterset Award, the Margaret and John Savage First Book Award, and the NL Fiction Award, and was longlisted for the Dublin International Literary Award. No One Knows About Us, a collection of stories and her most recent work, was shortlisted for the Alistair MacLeod Prize for short fiction.
Bridget Canning’s novel, Some People’s Children, describes teenaged Imogene’s experiences in the fictional Newfoundland town of St. Felix, and her young adulthood in St. John’s and relies on her capacity for detailed and thought-provoking scenes that will also appeal to an adult audience.
Imogene’s mother, Maggie, was 14 at the time of her conception so she left Imogene behind in St. Felix, to live with her boyfriend in Ontario. Imogene is raised by Nan, her saucy grandmother. Gossip flourishes in St. Felix so she has few hiding spots, but it’s other people’s secrets that will reveal the identity of her Father that really intrigue her.
Canning uses local dialect in the dialogue and happily does not tell readers how to feel about her characters, who are complex and often not entirely likeable. The following quote is about a character briefly introduced as another classmate, his character does not bear significance to the story, and this line is so evoking.
“Quincy, who speaks like he’s been practicing his sentences all day. Quincy, who has trouble keeping eye contact and will focus on a spot just above or beside your head”.
Canning uses the third-person perspective to help us understand Imogene, employing quick italicized snippets of Imogene’s thoughts for more reliable character narration. This omniscient view of the story leaves room for readers to form their own opinions.
Canning describes the eighties and nineties perfectly, uses rich description and language of several historical moments in Newfoundland with sensory detail. “The CBC reporter moves the camera to follow the culvert, now fully free. It twists and begins rolling down the river, pushed by the flood of ice, out towards the bay. It’s like watching a toilet paper tube crush an ant path. Imogene feels her eyes widen at the spectacle, the pure destruction of it. Go, dirty culvert, go.”
The final chapters take place in St. Johns, but the ending is too quickly paced, and the dialogue overdone. Still, the novel’s ending is … satisfying. As a reader, breaking away from the world of St. Felix was done reluctantly. I see why there is such hope and excitement for Canning’s future works.
Some People’s Children is Canning’s second novel, a finalist for 2020 BMO Winterset Award and the Thomas Raddall Award. Her debut novel The Greatest Hits of Wanda Jaynes was a finalist for 2017 BMO Winterset Award, the Margaret and John Savage First Book Award, and the NL Fiction Award, and was longlisted for the Dublin International Literary Award. No One Knows About Us, a collection of stories and her most recent work, was shortlisted for the Alistair MacLeod Prize for short fiction.
December 19, 2021
This is a coming-of-age story and a good one. The author explores the challenges rather than the charm of growing up in a small community in Newfoundland. Canning is an engaging storyteller. I will be reading more by this author.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews