How important are happy endings? Canada Reads contenders weigh in

While all good books come to an end,it's how they go about their conclusions that made it onto today's Canada Reads conversation.

Set in Toronto's Chinatown and Kensington Market,Denison Avenueis a moving portrait of a city undergoing mass gentrification and a Chinese Canadian elder grieving the death of her husband.

• Read an excerpt fromDenison Avenuenow

Community builderNaheed Nenshi,Denison Avenue's champion, has commended the story on many occasions for its ability to "tear your heart out and stomp on it and then hand it back to you a little bandaged, a little bruised, but filled with empathy and filled with hope."

But on Day Two of theCanada Readsdebate, fashion influencer Mirian Njoh took issue with his argument.

"I found this book to be relentlessly gut-wrenching," she said."Honestly, it grabs your heart and it leaves you with a lot of open wounds, because for me, it ultimately raises more questions than it answers."

Njoh was hoping to see more resolution when it comes to the major issues brought up in the novel includinggentrification and elder isolation, she said.

It just leaves us with the sentiment thatthis is a path we all must walk.- Mirian Njoh

"It just leaves us with the sentiment thatthis is a path we all must walk. I found that it didn't leave me as fulfilled as I would like my literature to."

Nenshiexplained that that to him, Denison Avenue's ending is one of the most moving moments. He recalled the scenewhenprotagonist Cho Sum is cleaning up and cataloguing her house after months had gone by since her husband's passing.

"To me, that is really the bit that was bittersweet but was showing that she is, in fact, willing to move forward," he said. Seeing Cho Sum through the eyes of Chloe, her young neighbour, also drove home that sense of resilience for him.

"Soit's not ashappy an ending as Meet Me at the Lake, for example, but I think that it does show us that even when there's bitter with the sweet, we figure out how to go forward."

I think that it does show us that even when there's bitter with the sweet we figure out how to go forward.- Naheed Nenshi

The 2024Canada Readscontenders are:

• Athlete and CBC Sports contributor Dallas Soonias championsBad Creeby Jessica Johns
• Former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi championsDenison Avenueby Christina Wong & Daniel Innes
• Fashion influencer Mirian Njoh championsMeet Me at the Lakeby Carley Fortune
• Actor Kudakwashe Rutendo championsShut Up You're Prettyby Ta Mutonji
• Author Heather O'Neill championsThe Futureby Catherine Leroux, translated by Susan Ouriou

Here's how to tune intoCanada Reads2024:

ONLINE:CBC Bookswill livestream the debates at 10:05a.m. ET onCBCBooks.ca,YouTubeandCBC Gem.

The debates will be available to replay online each day. The livestreamon YouTube will be available to watch outside Canada.

If you'd rather listen tothe debates online,they will air live onCBC Listen. A replay will be available later each day.

ON RADIO:Canada Readswill air on CBC Radio at 10:05 a.m. in the Eastern, Central, Mountain and Pacific time zones.

It will air at 11:05 a.m. in Nunavut, the Maritimes, 1:05 p.m. in Labrador andat 1:35 p.m. in Newfoundland.

The debates will replay at 9p.m. local time in all time zones, except in Newfoundland, where it will replay at 9:30 p.m.

ON TV:CBC TV will broadcastCanada Readsat 1 p.m. in the Eastern, Central, Mountain and Pacific time zones. It will air at 2 p.m. in the Atlantic time zone and at 2:30 p.m in the Newfoundland time zone.

PODCAST:The episode will be posted each day after the live airing. You can download the episodes on the podcast app of your choice.