num_pages: 268
description: "From one of Canada's most gifted writers comes a remarkable novel of truth and deception. Barbara Gowdy is well known for her dazzling portraits of extraordinary characters. With Mister Sandman she again displays her razor-sharp insights into the capriciousness of the human condition and shows us why she is a world class writer." (From front inside dust cover.)This riotous account of "the family unit" was a smash hit in Europe, Canada, and England. In the Times Literary Supplement, author Margaret Atwood (The Handmaid's Tale) praised Barbara Gowdy's novel as surprising and delightful, containing moments "at the same time preposterous and strangely moving." The Canary family guards many secrets, including the mystery of tiny daughter, Joan, who was dropped on her head at birth and has never spoken. Joan plays the piano like Mozart, yet has never had a lesson. The outrageous hilarity rises into a climax that creates a stunning new definition of family togetherness.
language: English
title: Mister Sandman
titlecomplete: Mister Sandman
genres: Canada, Family, Contemporary, Literature, Novels, Cultural, LGBT, Canadian Literature, Fiction, Literary Fiction
ratings_count: 979
awards: awardedAt: 788947200000
name: Scotiabank Giller Prize
publisher: Somerville House Pub