Overview

Married and divorced in her 20s, looking for friendship in her 30s, and contemplating pregnancy at 40, our narrator wonders if she's going through life out of order. But Alice, The Turtle, The Kid, and other beloveds show her that motherhood is more than giving birth, art is never finished, and love is not linear. Through a three-day canoe trip, chance encounters, fierce female friendship, step-parenting, IVF, pandemic isolation, and quiet moments between humans, These Songs I Know By Heart weaves vignettes of everyday mythology into an absorbing and honest meditation on the connections in our lives. With razor-sharp reflection, humour, and most of all love, we are reminded that there's no formula to life and that instead, we must celebrate what makes the small moments of our lives extraordinary.

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9781771669009

Table of Contents

Reviews

“A collection of stylish, original and artfully observed sketches of 21st century romance and modern friendship, and her optimism about the tiny beautiful connections we make in life is happy-making."" —Hannah Moscovitch, Governor General’s Literary Award–winning author of Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes “A deeply humane and compassionate compendium of encounter and observation meditating on friendship, motherhood, art making, and home.” —Jordan Tannahill, Scotiabank Giller Prize–shortlisted author of The Listeners “A thoughtful, searching novel about connection and love in all its many forms... There is a deep generosity in these reflections on art and friendship, uncertainty and loss, and a beautiful openness to the world.” —Aimee Wall, author of We, Jane ""Brubacher's novel shows off the same flair for dramatic intimacy that makes her such a sought-after collaborator in the theatre world. It's brisk, poetic, relatable read.""-The Toronto Star ""Brubacher's novel shows off the same flair for dramatic intimacy that makes her such a sought-after collaborator in the theatre world. It's brisk, poetic, relatable read.""-The Toronto Star “A thoughtful, searching novel about connection and love in all its many forms, from fleeting encounters with strangers to bonds with chosen kin. There is a deep generosity in these reflections on art and friendship, uncertainty and loss, and a beautiful openness to the world. This book left me feeling less alone.” —Aimee Wall, author of We, Jane “A thoughtful, searching novel about connection and love in all its many forms, from fleeting encounters with strangers to bonds with chosen kin. There is a deep generosity in these reflections on art and friendship, uncertainty and loss, and a beautiful openness to the world. This book left me feeling less alone.” —Aimee Wall, author of We, Jane ""A deeply humane and compassionate compendium of encounter and observation meditating on friendship, motherhood, art making, and home."" —Jordan Tannahill, Scotiabank Giller Prize-shortlisted author of The Listeners ""A deeply humane and compassionate compendium of encounter and observation meditating on friendship, motherhood, art making, and home."" —Jordan Tannahill, Scotiabank Giller Prize-shortlisted author of The Listeners “Brubacher’s gorgeous new book is a collection of stylish, original and artfully observed sketches of 21st century romance and modern friendship, and her optimism about the tiny beautiful connections we make in life is happy-making. These Songs I Know By Heart is an odd, winsome, and winning piece of writing.” —Hannah Moscovitch, author of Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes “Brubacher’s gorgeous new book is a collection of stylish, original and artfully observed sketches of 21st century romance and modern friendship, and her optimism about the tiny beautiful connections we make in life is happy-making. These Songs I Know By Heart is an odd, winsome, and winning piece of writing.” —Hannah Moscovitch, author of Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes ""These Songs I Know By Heart is like time spent with a good friend—candid, comforting, and inspiring. Erin Brubacher’s spare prose elides the distance between feelings and words, and her sensitive songs are tuned to an artist’s pitch."" —Martha Schabas, author of My Face in the Light ""These Songs I Know By Heart is like time spent with a good friend—candid, comforting, and inspiring. Erin Brubacher’s spare prose elides the distance between feelings and words, and her sensitive songs are tuned to an artist’s pitch."" —Martha Schabas, author of My Face in the Light

"""A collection of stylish, original and artfully observed sketches of 21st century romance and modern friendship, and her optimism about the tiny beautiful connections we make in life is happy-making."" --Hannah Moscovitch, Governor General's Literary Award-winning author of Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes ""A deeply humane and compassionate compendium of encounter and observation meditating on friendship, motherhood, art making, and home."" --Jordan Tannahill, Scotiabank Giller Prize-shortlisted author of The Listeners ""A thoughtful, searching novel about connection and love in all its many forms... There is a deep generosity in these reflections on art and friendship, uncertainty and loss, and a beautiful openness to the world."" --Aimee Wall, author of We, Jane"

"""These Songs I Know By Heart is like time spent with a good friend--candid, comforting, and inspiring. Erin Brubacher's spare prose elides the distance between feelings and words, and her sensitive songs are tuned to an artist's pitch."" --Martha Schabas, author of My Face in the Light ""A deeply humane and compassionate compendium of encounter and observation meditating on friendship, motherhood, art making, and home."" --Jordan Tannahill, Scotiabank Giller Prize-shortlisted author of The Listeners ""A thoughtful, searching novel about connection and love in all its many forms, from fleeting encounters with strangers to bonds with chosen kin. There is a deep generosity in these reflections on art and friendship, uncertainty and loss, and a beautiful openness to the world. This book left me feeling less alone."" --Aimee Wall, author of We, Jane ""Brubacher's gorgeous new book is a collection of stylish, original and artfully observed sketches of 21st century romance and modern friendship, and her optimism about the tiny beautiful connections we make in life is happy-making. These Songs I Know By Heart is an odd, winsome, and winning piece of writing."" --Hannah Moscovitch, author of Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes ""Brubacher's novel shows off the same flair for dramatic intimacy that makes her such a sought-after collaborator in the theatre world. It's brisk, poetic, relatable read.""-The Toronto Star ""A collection of stylish, original and artfully observed sketches of 21st century romance and modern friendship, and her optimism about the tiny beautiful connections we make in life is happy-making."" --Hannah Moscovitch, Governor General's Literary Award-winning author of Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes ""A deeply humane and compassionate compendium of encounter and observation meditating on friendship, motherhood, art making, and home."" --Jordan Tannahill, Scotiabank Giller Prize-shortlisted author of The Listeners ""A thoughtful, searching novel about connection and love in all its many forms... There is a deep generosity in these reflections on art and friendship, uncertainty and loss, and a beautiful openness to the world."" --Aimee Wall, author of We, Jane"

Author Information

ERIN BRUBACHER is a multidisciplinary artist. She is the author of the poetry collection In the small hours: Thirty-nine months & seven days and co-author of the hybrid, performance-based book 7th Cousins: An Automythography. Her award-winning work in theatre has taken her to contexts including the National Arts Centre (Ottawa), the Aga Khan Museum (Toronto), Festival Internacional Cervantino (Mexico), Theater der Welt (Germany), and the Edinburgh International Festival (UK). Erin lived in ten cities before returning to Toronto, where she makes a home with her husband and four children.

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