Terry Fallis’s The Best Laid Plans announced as Canada Reads winner
After a final bout with Ami McKay’s The Birth House, Terry Fallis’s political satire The Best Laid Plans has taken the top honour at Canada Reads 2011. The winning title follows an old engineering professor named Angus McLintock as he runs for federal office—a race he’s certain he’ll lose. Instead, McLintock wins his race, and as a politician unconcerned with his re-election, he decides to take on Parliament, with predictably comic results. Self-published in 2007 and later picked up by McClelland & Stewart after winning the Stephen Leacock Medal For Humour in 2008, The Best Laid Plans, Fallis’ first novel, won out over Angie Abdou’s The Bone Cage, Jeff Lemire’s Essex County and Unless by Carol Shields.
Canada Reads panel member and CNN reporter Ali Velshi made the case for The Best Laid Plans, saying, “This book is about the current thing that affects us now in our world, which is the people who make decisions for us.” Former NHL enforcer Georges Laraque mimicked Velshi’s sentiments about the book: “Today, in Canada, people don’t vote and we live in a democratic country. If people read this book, they would want to vote. We need this.” Fallis’ own reaction to the news that his book had won was appropriately droll. Calling himself “thunderstruck,” Fallis told CBC News: “If I’m sounding a bit muffled it’s because I’m curled on the floor of my library in a fetal position breathing into a paper bag.”
• Canada Reads names 2011 winner [CBC News]
Congratulations to Ali Velshi for making such a wonderful case for the book “Best Laid Plans”. I’m looking forward to reading it.
What always impresses me is not only the wonderful selection of Canadian novels that are debated, but also the diverse panel who are knowledgeable and articulate.
All in all, a very successful and compelling season of “Canada Reads”!
Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy – congratulations Terry. From self-published, podcast-promoted to a Leacock Award and Canada Reads victory. Just goes to show where passion and personal conviction can take you. Well done! Continued success.
Listened to the final of Canada Reads on the CBC. Was at Indigo later on. Bought,The Best Laid Plans. Began to read it. Huge disappointment. It’s a poorly written “comic” book, containing cheesey political/sexual, alliterative puns hardly up to adolescent level. What a sad commentary on the CBC, NOT REAL CANADIAN literature, which is in fine form. The Best Laid Plans is a cheap, unfunny, mediocre book, not worth reading by anyone, much less Canadians, whom I am pretty sure have much, much better taste. The Canada Reads competition discussions and witty, clever, impassioned appeals was entertaining and even fun. Keep it going, but for goodness sake’s, skip naming a book for Canadians to read, if The Best Laid Plans is the best with which you can come up. Neil Hibberd
As a member of the Friends of the local library, we the members are encouraged to read all of the Canada Reads selections. The Best Laid Plans is the first selection that I have enjoyed. A terrific read. Thank you for alot of laughs