Watching You Without Me

After her mother's sudden death, Karen finds herself back in her childhood home in Nova Scotia for the first time in a decade, acting as full-time caregiver to Kelli, her older sister. Overwhelmed with grief and the daily needs of Kelli, who was born with a developmental disability, Karen begins to feel consumed by the isolation of her new role. On top of that, she's weighed down with guilt over her years spent keeping Kelli and their independent-to-a-fault mother, Irene, at arm's length. And so when Trevor one of Kelli's support workers oversteps his role and offers friendly advice and a shoulder to cry on, Karen gratefully accepts his somewhat overbearing friendship. When she discovers how close Trevor was to Irene, she comes to trust him all the more. But as Trevor slowly insinuates himself into Karen and Kelli's lives, Karen starts to grasp the true aspect of his relationship with her mother and to experience for herself the suffocating nature of Trevor's "care." (FromHouse of Anansi Press)

Watching You Without Meis on the 2020 Scotiabank Giller Prize longlist.

Lynn Coady is a short story writer and novelist originally from Nova Scotia. Her short story collectionHellgoingwon the Scotiabank Giller Prize in 2013.

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From the book

How Lynn Coady's own family inspired Watching You Without Me

"I grew up in Cape Breton. When I was a kid, my parents were in a situation whey they had to look after my aging grandparents.At first, they would come up from Margareeevery summer to stay with us in Port Hawkesbury. They stayed down in our basement. They would also bring my uncle, who was developmentally disabled like the character Kelli in the book andwho always needed care.

"My dad had a bitterness about the fact that we couldn't take vacations or go anywhere due to this caregiversituation. Sometimes I wondered why it had to be the way it was.

I thought I'dwrite a scary novel as a result perhaps tofind a nice metaphor for everything that scaredme at this stage of life.- Lynn Coady

"When my parents retired, they moved to Dartmouth. They now have caregivers coming in regularly and, these days, there's a little bit more access to that kind of help. I started writingWatching You Without Mearound the time my brotherand I were giving each other those looks, understanding that it's going to be on us now as our parents are in decline.

"It's a sad stage that we all get to. My mind just started going to a dark place because I didn't want to think about all the ramifications of the situation. I thought I'dwrite a scary novel as a result perhaps tofind a nice metaphor for everything that scaredme at this stage of life."

Read more in her interview with The Next Chapter.

Interviews with Lynn Coady

Author Lynn Coady on why she writes stories about the Maritimes

9 years ago

Duration 2:30

In this edition of Storytellers, author Lynn Coady recounts finding her voice as a writer in rural Cape Breton.

The Next Chapter14:32Lynn Coady on "Who Needs Books?: Reading in the Digital Age"

Lynn Coady on her book about how books and literature are not dying in the digital age.

Ideas53:58The Monster At The End

In a lecture at the Canadian Literature Centre at the University of Alberta and in interview with Paul Kennedy, novelist Lynn Coady explores what happens if we separate the idea of 'the book' from the experience they've traditionally provided.

Lynn Coady wins Giller Prize

11 years ago

Duration 3:39

See what the Hellgoing author had to say after her big win

Other books by Lynn Coady