Podcast
Bookends with Mattea Roach
Hosted by CBC · EN
When the book ends, the conversation begins. Mattea Roach speaks with writers who have something to say about their work, the world and our place in it. You’ll always walk away with big questions to ponder and new books to read.
51episodes
Episodes
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Can you make a family — and a country — great again?
1w ago00:28:41Tap to summarizeImagine your entire family … immediate and extended … living in one apartment complex together. Karan Mahajan’s latest novel, The Complex, follows four generations of a family across India and America in the 1970s. In Delhi, most of the family lives in a crumbling residential compound. They’re the descendants of a political legend, and the family longs to return to their era of greatness. These family tensions mirror the country of India itself, which is changing politically, economically and socially as the Hindu nationalist movement begins to take shape. This week, Karan tells Mattea Roach about the real history behind the book, writing an organic political story and his complicated relationship with home.Liked this conversation? Keep listening:Kiran Desai’s novel is worth the 20-year wait Rage and love at the end of apartheid Check us out on Instagram @cbcbooks and TikTok @cbcbooks
Transcribe →Sci-fi, survival and the final frontier
2w ago00:29:02Tap to summarizeIf an asteroid was hurtling towards Earth, and you had no other choice … would you upload your mind to a computer to survive? Robert J. Sawyer explores that dilemma in his new novel, The Downloaded 2: Ghosts in the Machine. The Canadian sci-fi legend’s latest is all about technology and identity at the end of the world … and as someone who has thought a lot about mortality, Robert has a unique perspective on how technology, humanity and death align. Robert tells Mattea Roach about why he likes to write about cheating death, the harmony of science and religion and a personal experience he’s sharing for the first time.Liked this conversation? Keep listening:In a world run by AI, what makes us human?Getting to know Canada's king of suspenseCheck us out on Instagram @cbcbooks and TikTok @cbcbooks
Transcribe →Bookends highlights: Y’all know we’re Canada down
3w ago00:53:37Tap to summarizeCoast to coast, province to province, soccer pitch to hockey rink … there’s no one Canadian experience, and no one Canadian story. This week, Bookends is highlighting four Canadian writers we’ve featured on the show so far. From a hockey drama in the maritimes, to Canadian soldiers in the Second World War, to a long journey North, these stories about Canada might surprise you … or they might remind you of home. In this special Canada Day edition of the show, we’re revisiting Mattea Roach’s conversations with Jack Wang, Tyler Hellard, Alison McCreesh and Conor Kerr.Hear the full conversations here:Jack Wang: Reimagining the lost stories of Chinese Canadians during WWII Meet hockey’s greatest (fictional) goon Alison McCreesh: Exploring the magic and nuance of life in the North in her latest graphic novel Capitalism, dating apps and why we love Edmonton Check us out on Instagram @cbcbooks and TikTok @cbcbooks
Transcribe →Marjane Satrapi: In conversation with Eleanor Wachtel
4w ago00:31:46Tap to summarizeWhen Marjane Satrapi died earlier this month, we lost an acclaimed graphic novelist and filmmaker … and a voice that explored Iranian society in a wholly unique way. You might know Marjane from her celebrated graphic memoirs Persepolis and Persepolis II. They’re about her experience growing up in an unconventional household during Iran’s Islamic revolution, and the screen adaptation was nominated for an Academy Award. This week, we’re revisiting Eleanor Wachtel’s 2011 conversation with Marjane about her book Chicken with Plums. They spoke about Marjane’s relationship to her home country, how her family influences her work and appreciating the beauty of life’s small moments.Check out the rest of the Writers & Company archive: https://digital.lib.sfu.ca/writers-company Check us out on Instagram @cbcbooks and TikTok @cbcbooks
Transcribe →What does it mean to be a dad, anyway?
4w ago00:29:42Tap to summarizeFatherhood isn’t easy. It might be hard to put the experience into words … but Jordan Abel’s new poetry collection does just that. Dad Era is addressed to Jordan’s daughter Phoenix. Through free verse, pictures and a mix of ideas both personal and universal, the collection explores the nuances of fatherhood, Indigenous parenting and what it’s like to raise a child in a world that gets more uncertain by the day. Like his previous work, Dad Era showcases Jordan’s ability to be a literary DJ — he loops, cuts and fades together words, artwork, and documents, giving readers fresh perspectives on fatherhood and Indigenous joy, past and present. Liked this conversation? Keep listening:David A. Robertson puts stories at the heart of reconciliationWhat would it take to become the first Cherokee astronaut? Check us out on Instagram @cbcbooks and TikTok @cbcbooks
Transcribe →This time loop story digs deeper than Groundhog Day
Jun 1700:23:26Tap to summarizeWhat would you do if you were stuck reliving the same day on loop? Splurge with your ever-replenishing bank account? Travel, so you can experience more than one season? Would it feel freeing, or lonely? In Solvej Balle's series On the Calculation of Volume, Tara Selter is stuck reliving the same November 18th. Nearly 40 years after the idea first came to Solvej, her time loop tale is speaking to readers around the world with its explorations of love, hope, despair and isolation. Solvej tells Mattea about why she initially resisted writing this story, the upside of aloneness, and what she really thought of the movie Groundhog Day.Liked this conversation? Keep listening:Is it magic ... or is it Siri?R.F. Kuang raises a little hell Check us out on Instagram @cbcbooks and TikTok @cbcbooks
Transcribe →A raunchy workplace satire ... about deradicalizing ISIS brides?
Jun 1400:35:13Tap to summarizeWhen Nussaibah Younis decided to write a book about ISIS brides, everyone expected it to be an academic tome. Instead, she wrote a raunchy satire about a woman who takes a job in a warzone to get over a recent heartbreak. Nussaibah's debut novel, Fundamentally, sees protagonist Nadia in over her head working for the UN in Baghdad. But her sense of purpose renews when she connects deeply with Sara, a young ISIS bride who Nadia becomes intent on saving. Drawing on her own professional experience, Nussaibah tells Mattea Roach why the UN's work culture is ripe for satire, why the conversation about ISIS brides needs nuance and what it really takes to deradicalize someone. Liked this conversation? Keep listening:Exploring the shady side of charity organizationsNeed cash fast? Become a corpse bride today Check us out on Instagram @cbcbooks and TikTok @cbcbooks
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Here’s why Fran Lebowitz needs a cigarette
Jun 700:30:17Tap to summarizeFran Lebowitz is a legendary writer and critic. She’s made a career of sharing hot takes without apology, and she didn’t hold back when she joined Mattea Roach for a special on-stage event in Toronto. You might know Fran from her books Metropolitan Life and Social Studies or her appearances in two Martin Scorsese documentaries. Fran is perhaps most famous for sharp social commentary — from airplane fashion, to the silly questions asked by educated youth, to the return of smoking ... Fran had plenty to share with the Toronto crowd. Photo credits to Brigitte Lacombe.Liked this conversation? Keep listening:Scaachi Koul calls herself a professional ex-wifeFor Louise Penny, stories come from hurt Check us out on Instagram @cbcbooks and TikTok @cbcbooks
Transcribe →Dive into the dark underbelly of rural Ontario
Jun 300:22:28Tap to summarizeIt’s easy to glamorize small town life … but Kevin Hardcastle’s new novel, County Road Six, is all about the darkness lurking in rural Canada. When Arthur O’Hare dies, his three daughters return to the family farm to sort through what he left behind. But what they inherit is more than land — it’s a shadowy history they never knew existed. County Road Six is a dramatic thriller about economic decline, family secrets and the lengths people will go to survive. It’s a compelling and unsettling story that pulls from Kevin’s own background growing up as a working class kid in rural Ontario. This week, Kevin tells Mattea Roach about exploring the rural Canadian experience, adding elements of horror to his stories and why towns can be more dangerous than cities. Liked this conversation? Keep listening:The beauty and despair of Appalachia Buffoon or genius? What makes a cult leader? Check us out on Instagram @cbcbooks and TikTok @cbcbooks
Transcribe →Douglas Stuart was a fashion exec — now he designs stories
May 3100:32:25Tap to summarizeA glamorous life and career in New York’s fashion industry was everything Douglas Stuart worked for. So why did he walk away from it all? And how did he go from fashion designer to Booker Prize winning author? Douglas’s first two novels, Shuggie Bain and Young Mungo, were critically acclaimed hits. He continues the streak with John of John, a moving novel about a young man returning home to a remote Scottish island steeped in religion and tradition. It’s one of the hottest books of spring and an Oprah’s Book Club pick. This week, Douglas joins Mattea Roach to talk about his major career change, diving into Hebridean culture and drawing on his own upbringing for the novel. Liked this conversation? Keep listening:For Jeanette Winterson, stories are essential to survival Why you can’t forget your first love Check us out on Instagram @cbcbooks and TikTok @cbcbooks
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