Word on the Street Toronto presents a conversation between Emily Brewes (The Doomsday Book of Fairy Tales), Premee Mohamed, and Rebecca Silver Slayter where they will be answering questions such as: What can we learn about individual resilience and community care from stories at the end of the world? How does our changing environment change us? If our old world is gone for good, how do we go about inventing and imagining a new one?
Moderated by author Kelly Robson.
About the book:
An astounding tale of a dangerous quest, a talking dog, and fragmented fairy tales in an eerie post-climate collapse future.
A long time ago, the Vanderchucks fled the growing climate disaster and followed their neighbours into the Underground. Jesse Vanderchuck thought it was the end. Of the world. Of life. Eventually, Jesse’s little sister, Olivia, ran away and Jesse started picking through trash heaps in Toronto’s abandoned subway tunnels. Day in, day out.
Now, years later, Jesse meets a talking dog. Fighting illness and the hostile world aboveground, Jesse and Doggo embark on a fool’s errand to find Olivia — or die trying. Along the way, Jesse spins a series of fairy tales from threads of memories, weaving together the past, present, and future into stories of brave girls, of cunning lads, of love in the face of wickedness, and of hope in the midst of despair.