“Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”  Three narratives put A. A. Milne’s words of wisdom to the test, with unforgettable characters who find themselves in need of bravery, strength and smarts to navigate their lives.

Heather O’Neill, the author of the international bestseller Lullabies for Little Criminals , a Canada Reads winner, makes her Festival debut with The Girl Who Was Saturday Night , a coming-of-age novel set on the seedy side of Montreal’s St. Laurent Boulevard.

In her haunting debut, The Umbrella Mender , Christine Fischer Guy transports us to 1950s Moose Factory, where the beleaguered staff of the local hospital are fighting to stem the tide of tuberculosis among the indigenous peoples of this northern community. 

In Mirrors and Mirages , Monia Mazigh lets us into the lives of six women. They are immigrant mothers, guardians of tradition who want their daughters to enjoy freedom in Western society, and they are daughters, university students who are clever and computer savvy. Gradually, these women cross paths, and, without losing their authenticity, they become friends and rivals, mirrors and mirages of each other.