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Annabel Lyon Biography, Books, and Similar Authors

Author Biography  | Interview  | Books by this Author  | Read-Alikes

Annabel Lyon
Photo: Phillip Chin

Annabel Lyon

Annabel Lyon Biography

Annabel Lyon’s story collection, Oxygen, and book of novellas, The Best Thing for You, were published in Canada to wide acclaim. The Golden Mean, her first novel, was a Canadian bestseller and was published in six languages. It won the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize and was nominated for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, the Governor General’s Award for Fiction, and the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize. Lyon lives in British Columbia with her husband and two children.

Annabel Lyon's website

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Interview

Read an interview in which Annabel Lyon discusses the incredible influences that Aristotle and his philosophies have had, both on the world at large and on her personally.

The Golden Mean is your first novel for adults. What prompted you to move from writing primarily short stories and novellas to writing a full-length novel? What are the challenges in moving between one form of storytelling and another? Which do you prefer?

My preferred form is the short story, but the scope of the material I wanted to deal with in The Golden Mean required a novel; it was as simple as that. I always liken writing to running: you're born with the body of a sprinter or a middle distance runner or a marathoner, and that's what's most comfortable for you. It doesn't mean you can't run the other races, but they're always going to come less naturally and be more of an effort. It's the same for me with novel writing. The long short story is my comfortable length, the length I feel most confident with, and consequently the novel was a real challenge. A number of times in the writing of the book I wanted to throw in the towel and just scale it down to a short story. But there was simply too much material, and it was too complex.

The Golden Mean was nominated for the triple crown of Canadian literary awards, the Scotiabank Giller Prize, the Governor General's Literary Award, and the Roger's Writers' Trust Fiction ...

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Books by this Author

Books by Annabel Lyon at BookBrowse
The Sweet Girl jacket The Golden Mean jacket
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Read-Alikes

All the books below are recommended as read-alikes for Annabel Lyon but some maybe more relevant to you than others depending on which books by the author you have read and enjoyed. So look for the suggested read-alikes by title linked on the right.
How we choose read-alikes

  • Thomas Cahill

    Thomas Cahill

    Thomas Cahill was the author of the bestselling Hinges of History series (a planned seven part series) including How The Irish Saved Civilization: The Untold Story of Ireland's Heroic Role from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of... (more)

    If you enjoyed:
    The Golden Mean

    Try:
    Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea
    by Thomas Cahill

  • Robert Harris

    Robert Harris

    Robert Harris is the author of fourteen bestselling novels: the Cicero Trilogy - Imperium, Lustrum and Dictator - Fatherland, Enigma, Archangel, Pompeii, The Ghost, The Fear Index, An Officer and a Spy, which won four prizes ... (more)

    If you enjoyed:
    The Golden Mean

    Try:
    Imperium
    by Robert Harris

We recommend 9 similar authors

View all 9 Read-Alikes

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