Brian Francis (2) (1971–)
Author of Fruit
For other authors named Brian Francis, see the disambiguation page.
Works by Brian Francis
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1971
- Gender
- male
- Occupations
- magazine writer
- Awards and honors
- Canada Reads Finalist
- Short biography
- Brian Francis is a Canadian writer. His 2004 novel Fruit was selected for inclusion in the 2009 edition of Canada Reads, where it was championed by novelist and CBC Radio One personality Jen Sookfong Lee.[1] It finished the competition as the runner-up, making the last vote against the eventual winner, Lawrence Hill's The Book of Negroes.
Published in Canada by ECW Press and released on May 4, 2004, Fruit is the story of Peter Paddington, a teenager living in Sarnia. Overweight, gay and a social outsider, Paddington regularly retreats into an active fantasy life which includes his own nipples talking to him, and the novel traces his journey toward self-acceptance.[1]
The novel was published in paperback format in the United States by Harper Perennial on August 2, 2005 under the title The Secret Fruit of Peter Paddington.[2]
The novel was well-received by critics, with Entertainment Weekly referring to it as "sweet, tart, and forbidden in all the right places."[3]
Francis' second novel, Natural Order, published by Doubleday Canada, was released on August 23, 2011. The novel tells the story of a mother coming to terms with the death of her adult son.[4]
Francis, who is gay,[5] has also worked for the Toronto publications Xtra! and NOW. - Nationality
- Canada
- Birthplace
- Sarnia, Ontario, Canada
- Places of residence
- Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Associated Place (for map)
- Ontario, Canada
Members
Reviews
When I'm out in public and I see a group of young teenage boys, I try my best to avoid them or ignore them. If I don't, I'll be subjected to fart humour, really dumb attempts at jokes, and foul language (apologies to any articulate, polite young teen boys for making this stereotype, but it's based on my experience). Despite this aversion, I enjoyed reading Fruit, a novel that takes you deep into the mind of a thirteen year old boy. Peter lives in 1980s Sarnia, Ontario, and is friendless, show more obese and gay. The story is very funny in parts, amusing throughout, and a little sad too. The author, Brian Francis, absolutely nails the details of Canadian life, so if you're looking for a novel that captures typical middle class Canadian culture, this is a good one. Rating: 4/5 stars.
Why I read this now: 1. It's one of the five contenders for the upcoming CBC Canada Reads competition, and 2. the library had it available to read from their website without me having to leave the comfort of home, so I read this off the laptop (which is a nice lap-warmer on a winter's evening). I'm not sure WHAT exactly Canada Reads is supposed to be. Does it mean that everyone in Canada should read these books, or at least the winner? If so, I'm not sure if this is the right book for the competition. For one thing, humour is subjective, so while many people will find it hilarious, I know a bunch of people who wouldn't. Also, there is some pretty bad language and very personal and lewd details, so I know some people out there would find this book offensive. Definitely not a book for every reader. show less
Why I read this now: 1. It's one of the five contenders for the upcoming CBC Canada Reads competition, and 2. the library had it available to read from their website without me having to leave the comfort of home, so I read this off the laptop (which is a nice lap-warmer on a winter's evening). I'm not sure WHAT exactly Canada Reads is supposed to be. Does it mean that everyone in Canada should read these books, or at least the winner? If so, I'm not sure if this is the right book for the competition. For one thing, humour is subjective, so while many people will find it hilarious, I know a bunch of people who wouldn't. Also, there is some pretty bad language and very personal and lewd details, so I know some people out there would find this book offensive. Definitely not a book for every reader. show less
Armed with the knowledge that author Brian Francis was a 2009 Canada Reads Finalist, I picked up Natural Order at the bookstore. I was not disappointed, in fact I was enthralled.
Natural Order takes place in small town Canada, and spans some 70 years,beginning in the late 1940's and ending in approximately 2007. Our narrator, Joyce Sparks, now an elderly widow in a nursing home , looks back over her life, starting from when she was in her late teens. Joyce serves as a wonderful narrator, show more cantankerous, witty and tender-hearted.
The story begins with the obituary of her son, John Sparks, born in 1953 and passed in 1984, apparently of cancer. As we read about Joyce's young years as a young wife and mother, we learn that Joyce has tried to keep many secrets about her son John, who as a young child preferred " girlish pursuits".
The story is beautifully told, by turns heartbreaking and hilarious, but always poignant and honest. Natural Order is peppered with engaging and vividly portrayed characters. The story is ultimately redemptive, but I had a tear in my eye as I finished the book.
A wonderful and very engaging read.
4.5 stars. show less
Natural Order takes place in small town Canada, and spans some 70 years,beginning in the late 1940's and ending in approximately 2007. Our narrator, Joyce Sparks, now an elderly widow in a nursing home , looks back over her life, starting from when she was in her late teens. Joyce serves as a wonderful narrator, show more cantankerous, witty and tender-hearted.
The story begins with the obituary of her son, John Sparks, born in 1953 and passed in 1984, apparently of cancer. As we read about Joyce's young years as a young wife and mother, we learn that Joyce has tried to keep many secrets about her son John, who as a young child preferred " girlish pursuits".
The story is beautifully told, by turns heartbreaking and hilarious, but always poignant and honest. Natural Order is peppered with engaging and vividly portrayed characters. The story is ultimately redemptive, but I had a tear in my eye as I finished the book.
A wonderful and very engaging read.
4.5 stars. show less
In Natural Order, an elderly woman Joyce looks back on episodes from her life. She sees how her homophobia and that of others had devastated people she had loved. The narrator is unreliable and the story jumps among several time periods in the past and the present, but somehow it all works and makes for a very readable and moving story. This novel is a good examination of both the process of aging and the changing views of homosexuality over the past half-century in Canada. The novel show more featured vividly drawn characters and a good amount of small-town-Ontario humour. show less
Joyce Sparks lives at Chestnut Park Nursing home. She is finding it more and more to difficult to get around each day and she knows this will be the last place she lives. When Timothy, the new male volunteer, shows up in her room trying to engage her in social activities, or at the very least, in a conversation she puts up her usual “grumpy old lady” barrier. She can’t maintain it though because, darn it all, he bears such a striking resemblance to her first love, Freddy show more Pender.
Everyone in the small town of Balsden, Ontario knew that there was something a little off about Freddy. Something that was not quite acceptable in the 1950’s. But Freddy left town to become famous and Joyce stayed behind, married Charlie and had a son. A son who wanted nothing more than to play in the pretend kitchen in kindergarten and receive a doll for Christmas. Something that was not quite acceptable in the 1960’s. Something she had to keep secret from her husband.
As Joyce shares her story we follow her through her life, her denial and then slow acceptance of her son’s (and Freddy’s) sexuality, small town life rife with gossip, the “gay disease”, and growing old. Could she have been a better mother, a better wife, a better sister or a better friend?
I liked Joyce! I liked her story very much, too. Kudos to Mr. Francis for writing a story so filled with life, love, misunderstanding and heartache. Yet, told in a poignant way … interspersed with humor. People trying to do their best and not always succeeding. show less
Everyone in the small town of Balsden, Ontario knew that there was something a little off about Freddy. Something that was not quite acceptable in the 1950’s. But Freddy left town to become famous and Joyce stayed behind, married Charlie and had a son. A son who wanted nothing more than to play in the pretend kitchen in kindergarten and receive a doll for Christmas. Something that was not quite acceptable in the 1960’s. Something she had to keep secret from her husband.
As Joyce shares her story we follow her through her life, her denial and then slow acceptance of her son’s (and Freddy’s) sexuality, small town life rife with gossip, the “gay disease”, and growing old. Could she have been a better mother, a better wife, a better sister or a better friend?
I liked Joyce! I liked her story very much, too. Kudos to Mr. Francis for writing a story so filled with life, love, misunderstanding and heartache. Yet, told in a poignant way … interspersed with humor. People trying to do their best and not always succeeding. show less
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