You are cordially invited to attend the book launch of “The Morning Bell Brings the Broken Hearted” at the beautifully appointed Mitchell Hall in Shawnigan Lake School. You can register up to five people through the provided link and join the celebration with complimentary appetizers and a hosted bar.
Scan the code or click he button to register for the event.
The event is free with complimentary appetizers and bar.
Jennifer Manuel’s latest novel, her second major release after the award-winning debut of “The Heaviness of Things That Float,” has generated great interest and hit bookstores ahead of its official launch on May 6, 2023. The book has already made its way onto the BC Best Seller list for the second consecutive week, thanks to pre-orders and early bookstore sales.
A greatly anticipated work that casts a spell as captivating as in her bestselling book, The Heaviness of Things That Float, this new novel has been called a “book of uncommon grace—haunted and haunting, yet shot through with an effervescent life force…” (Zsuzsi Gartner, author)
In “The Morning Bell Brings the Broken Hearted,” Jennifer Manuel explores similar themes to her previous work, “The Heaviness of Things That Float.” While the latter focused on a nurse’s struggle with belonging in a native village on Vancouver Island, the former follows a newly graduated teacher’s journey to find her place in the same community amidst social issues and limited resources. Both protagonists ultimately question their right to belong, and the novels present unvarnished truths about personal and cultural intersections within the indigenous community. Through their struggles, the characters reach new insights and transform their views.
Manuel’s debut novel won the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize for best BC novel at the 2017 BC Book Awards, and “The Heaviness of Things That Float” has since undergone multiple reprints, with its seventh printing now in circulation. It has also been optioned for a mini-series. “The Morning Bell Brings the Broken Hearted” has already landed at #6 on the BC Bestseller list, having jumped from its early entry at #10.
The book launch will include a two-hour on-stage discussion between Jennifer Manuel and Darell Mcleod, the author of “Mamaskatch,” his Governor General’s Award-winning debut autobiography. The two writers will discuss their writing, read excerpts from their most recent works, and delve into indigenous education in BC.
Overall, the event promises to be an insightful and entertaining celebration of literature, culture, and community.