The Glass Harmonica by Russell Wangersky has been awarded the 2010 BMO Winterset Award.
When retiree Keith O’Reilly witnesses the murder of his neighbour – an architect and “come-from-away” named Dennis Conners – by a pizza delivery man one night during a snowstorm, a unique series of stories begins to unfold.
Travelling through the changing viewpoints of a more than a dozen of people in a small residential neighbourhood in St. John’s, Newfoundland, The Glass Harmonica looks at the way common memories and shared experiences bend and warp as individuals recall the events of their lives, and how these distortions influence both the character’s and the reader’s understanding of the truth.
The BMO Winterset Award is awarded to an outstanding literary work in any writing genre (fiction, non-fiction, poetry, published drama etc.) regardless of the subject matter. The over-riding consideration will be excellence in writing by Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, as determined by the jury.
The BMO Winterset Award was established to honour the memory of Sandra Fraser Gwyn, award-winning social historian. An ardent advocate and promoter of Newfoundland and Labrador culture, she was granted an honorary degree from Memorial University, made a member of the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council’s Hall of Honour, and an Officer of the Order of Canada.
The BMO Winterset Award is designed to encourage and promote excellence in all genres of writing. One prize of $10,000, and two prizes of $2,000 are awarded annually.
More information about the award can be found on the website of the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council.