The End of Me - Freehand Books

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The End of Me

  • Publication Date: May 1, 2020
  • ISBN: 9781988298566 / 1988298563
  • 5¼" x 8"

56 very short stories about death from Giller Prize finalist John Gould

The End of Me is an astonishing set of sudden stories about the experience of mortality. With an ear attuned to the uncanny and the ironic, John Gould catches his characters at moments of illumination as they encounter the mystery of their finite being. A marooned astronaut bonds with a bereft cat; kids pelt a funeral procession with plums; a young girl ponders the brief brutality of her last life, and braces herself for the next one.

Rife with invention, with fresh ideas and arresting voices, this collection of flash fiction shimmers with compassion and vitality.

“John Gould’s skill with the short form is miraculous in the way of bonsai, the grand made to bloom within the small. And who knew death could be so wise, invigorating, playful — so richly alive?” BILL GASTON author of Just Let Me Look at You

“Smart and funny, filled with deep affection, regret, love, and sorrow… I was ambushed by these stories, taken places I never expected to go. In the end, I lost count of the times I shook my head at the sheer pleasure of reading this marvellous book.” EVE JOSEPH winner of the Griffin Prize for Quarrels

News & Events

The End of Me receives an Alcuin nod for Canadian book design
Freehand wins four prizes at the 2021 Alberta Book Publishing Awards
Three Freehand books shortlisted for the 2021 Alberta Book Publishing Awards
The End of Me longlisted for Miramich’s “The Very Best!” Book Awards
The End of Me shortlisted for the ReLit Award
The End of Me reviewed in the Ormsby Review
Freehand Books on CBC's Daybreak Alberta
September 19, 2020: Dede Crane and John Gould online at Salt Spring Island Public Library
October 7, 2020: Flash fiction workshop with John Gould
August 13, 2020: John Gould at Eden Mills (virtual event)
John Gould and The End of Me on Literary Goon
Read an excerpt from John Gould's The End of Me
May 24: Virtual Book Launch for The End of Me by John Gould
Focus on Victoria reviews The End of Me
June 3: John Gould book launch at Munro's
CBC highlights The End of Me and Watershed
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