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.
42episodes
Episodes
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Douglas Stuart was a fashion exec — now he designs stories
2d ago00:32:25Tap 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
Transcribe →What’s the cost of the immigrant success story?
6d ago00:26:23Tap to summarizeAnne Kim has it all. She’s a high-powered tax lawyer, lives in a beautiful apartment in New York and has the perfect boyfriend to boot. She’s the pride of her parents, Korean immigrants in small-town Alberta who worked day and night to keep the family afloat. But Jane Park’s debut novel, Inheritance, is all about the hidden costs of Anne’s immigrant success story — the hurt, trauma and stifling expectations that tore her family apart. When her father’s death sends her back to Alberta, Anne is forced to confront the reality of her upbringing and the truths behind a violent act that changed her family forever. This week, Jane tells Mattea Roach about the nuances of Korean resilience, how her own experiences factor into the book and what it’s like to be an Asian woman today. Liked this conversation? Keep listening:Where do North Korean spies go for dinner? Emma Knight: 'Bad' mothers make good stories — and are more true-to-life Check us out on Instagram @cbcbooks and TikTok @cbcbooks
Transcribe →A forensic thriller writer autopsies her own life
1w ago00:26:36Tap to summarizeA famous crime writer who gets her inspiration from years of working on real cases at the medical examiner’s office. That’s the story of Patricia Cornwell, the bestselling author of the Kay Scarpetta series. Her new memoir, True Crime, is all about the person behind the thrillers … and it proves that sometimes, life is stranger than fiction. From getting dropped off at the doorstep of one of America’s most famous evangelicals to her real forensics experience, Patricia’s memoir is an autopsy of her life and the obstacles she overcame to become a world-renowned author. This week, Patricia tells Mattea Roach about her tumultuous childhood, her path to writing and why she injects hope into her crime novels. Liked this conversation? Keep listening:• Meth and murder in rural America• Getting to know Canada’s king of suspenseCheck us out on Instagram @cbcbooks and TikTok @cbcbooks
Transcribe →Accepting the unknown … and a giant flock of crows
2w ago00:18:43Tap to summarizeThe winner of the 2026 CBC Short Story Prize is the Vancouver-based writer Larah Luna. Larah’s story, A Season of Crows, is about a small town learning to live with a huge murder of crows that passes through the town. Born in the Philippines and raised in Manitoba, Larah grew up surrounded by prairie landscapes that shaped the emotional setting of her story. A Season of Crows explores the wonder of the natural world and accepting the unknown … but it’s also based on Larah’s own experiences with grief and loss, and how the environment can hold the emotions that we struggle to convey. You can read Larah’s story here.Liked this conversation? Keep listening:Meet the winner of the 2025 CBC Short Story Prize What does dystopia look like in the suburbs? Check us out on Instagram @cbcbooks and TikTok @cbcbooks
Transcribe →Literature, liberation and Lolita in Iran
2w ago00:35:43Tap to summarizeBooks can be revolutionary. That’s the message of Azar Nafisi’s celebrated memoir Reading Lolita in Tehran, which is about her experience teaching forbidden literature to young women in Iran. Although it was published nearly 23 years ago, Azar’s memoir continues to speak to issues around censorship, authoritarianism and resilience in Iran and across the world. Her 2022 book Read Dangerously follows that thread, exploring how books are a tool for resistance and change in a time when people have forgotten how to speak to one another. Azar joined Mattea Roach for a special on-stage event at the Blue Metropolis International Literary Festival in Montreal, where they discussed Azar’s incredible family history, the uniting power of literature and what freedom means to her.Liked this conversation? Keep listening:Rage and love at the end of apartheid This poem took 16 straight hours to write Check us out on Instagram @cbcbooks and TikTok @cbcbooks
Transcribe →Exploring the shady side of charity organizations
3w ago00:28:10Tap to summarizeCharity organizations are all about doing good. What could possibly go wrong? Sharon Bala’s new novel, Good Guys, is all about how philanthropy operates in a world that runs on money. The book stars a fictional charity called Children of the World. It’s an international aid organization founded by a former rock star with some questionable motives. Moving between its headquarters in Toronto and its compound in Central America, the story follows the rise and fall of the charity and the characters’ complicated attempts at redemption. This week, Sharon tells Mattea about the dark side of NGOs, the connection between charity and faith and the complex desire to be a good person. Liked this conversation? Keep listening:A fictional ad agency — and its very real ghosts Yes, tuberculosis is still a thing — John Green tells us why Check us out on Instagram @cbcbooks and TikTok @cbcbooks
Transcribe →Can our friendships age with us?
3w ago00:26:29Tap to summarizeIf it feels like the years are going by faster and faster … you’re not the only one. Grant Ginder’s new novel, So Old, So Young, follows a group of college friends across 20 years. The story is told through five major parties that bring the group together as their lives change and criss-cross in unexpected ways. From housewarmings to weddings to birthdays, this book explores how our connections evolve and break … and it’s a profound look at how friendships grow with us. This week, Grant joins Mattea Roach to talk about writing a “coming of middle-age” novel, having grace for old friends and why friendships can be trickier than romance.Liked this conversation? Keep listening:Reliving the soundtrack of the 2000s 1 marriage, 2 mid-life crises … and a guy named Gluten Check us out on Instagram @cbcbooks and TikTok @cbcbooks
Transcribe →Life of Pi author Yann Martel on the wars in your everyday
4w ago00:33:43Tap to summarizeYann Martel didn’t think anybody would read Life of Pi when he first published it. 25 years later, his story of a teenage boy and a tiger adrift in the ocean still captivates readers, and Yann says his books are like his children — he loves them all equally. Yann’s new novel is called Son of Nobody. In the book, a Canadian scholar’s life changes when an Iliad-like epic poem is newly discovered. When he travels across the world to study it, he uncovers threads that are far more personal than expected. Son of Nobody is an exploration of identity, myth and class, and it’s a fresh take on a piece of literary history. This week Yann joins Mattea Roach to reflect on his past work, his interest in mythology and why humans should create, no matter what. Liked this conversation? Keep listening:The last book Julian Barnes will ever write How do we restore our sense of wonder in media? Check us out on Instagram @cbcbooks and TikTok @cbcbooks
Transcribe →How to find hope in a funeral home
May 300:31:17Tap to summarizeWhen Mai Nguyen lost her daughter just days after she was born, writing about a similar character in a novel brought her comfort. Her new book, Cleo Dang Would Rather Be Dead, is a heartbreaking but humorous novel about a grieving mother who starts working at a funeral home. Cleo Dang’s world is shattered when she loses her newborn due to complications during labour. Drowning in grief and the discomfort of friends and family, she takes a job at a funeral home and comes to learn intimately about her own loss and what grief means for others. It’s a deeply personal story based on Mai’s own experiences, and despite the subject, she tells the story with levity and hope. This week, Mai tells Mattea Roach about her own grief journey, balancing sorrow and laughter and why she was wrong about funeral home employees.Liked this conversation? Keep listening:Sarah Leavitt: Illustrating grief too wide for wordsWhat is extreme caretaking? Check us out on Instagram @cbcbooks and TikTok @cbcbooks
Transcribe →Should you be afraid of the wolf hour?
Apr 2900:28:49Tap to summarizeThe “wolf hour” is a term for the deep-night period between roughly three and four in the morning. The world is quiet, your guard is down … and if you’re anything like the thriller writer Jo Nesbø, it’s the perfect time to put some of your darkest thoughts to the page. Wolf Hour is the latest of Jo’s gritty crime novels. It’s an immersive story about a troubled detective and a Norwegian journalist solving the same Minneapolis murder, six years apart. Like many of Jo’s books, it’s a “Nordic noir” thriller that explores what drives people to evil … and if there’s a monster in all of us. This week, Jo tells Mattea Roach about exploring humanity’s dark side, adapting his work for television and why all crime writing is political.Liked this conversation? Keep listening:When young men murder, what can we learn? Chris Hadfield — from astronaut to author Check us out on Instagram @cbcbooks and TikTok @cbcbooks
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