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
- Nationality
- Canada
- Birthplace
- Sarnia, Ontario, Canada
- Places of residence
- Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- 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.
Members
Reviews
This is the sort of book that needs to be read twice. And it somehow manages to be both funnier and more heartbreaking the second time around.
I really enjoyed this book even though it was quite sad. The very real story of a woman who is unable to accept her son's way of life leads to a life of regret. The characters are real and their interactions are tender and sweet. Thought it was a beautifully written story.
The story starts with an elderly lady reflecting on her life. She has so many regrets, the principal one is not accepting her son's homosexuality. It was a bit sad but I found the author was able to capture the time where homosexuality was not accepted as it is today. Characters were interesting, typically representative of small town Canada.
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Awards
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 2
- Members
- 397
- Popularity
- #61,078
- Rating
- 3.8
- Reviews
- 25
- ISBNs
- 42
- Languages
- 2
It's the mid 1980s. Peter Paddington is 13-years old and in grade 8 in a school in Sarnia, Ontario. He has two older sisters and is overweight. He knows he is not normal and suddenly his nipples start talking to him.
I enjoyed this. Peter is quite humourous in trying to figure out what's going on with his body and in his head (and what's with those talking nipples!) I loved the 80s references (mostly tv and music, but fashion and probably other references I'm not thinking of are there, too). Peter has such interesting daydreams! This was a really good, really enjoyable coming of age novel… (more)