Book of the Week: Extraodinary by David Gilmour

With his new novel Extraordinary, Toronto writer and commentator David Gilmour — sometimes considered the “bad boy” of CanLit for his enraged responses to critics — takes a lingering look at life, love and family. It’s a simple enough premise: a man is asked by his half-sister to help her prepare for her assisted suicide, and over the course of a single Saturday night, a single conversation, they revisit their own lives and the lives of their children. Extraordinary is an insightful exploration of how lives change and develop despite our best plans and dreams. Expect to see Extraordinary and Gilmour — who won the Governor General’s Award in 2005 for A Perfect Night to Go to China — on this fall’s literary awards shortlists.