Yesterday, I attended the BC Achievement Awards ceremony for Canadian Non-fiction. It was a lovely event, showcasing great work in BC, bringing together artists, intellectuals, community activists and donors.

At this luncheon, I had the honour of introducing one of the four finalists for the award: Alison Pick, for her book Between Gods: A Memoir.

I fell in love with this book at first read, so I am sharing my introduction with you.

After great tragedy, a family comes to Canada, hoping to find a new life, hoping to leave old suffering and old identities behind. This works well … for one generation, maybe two. And then hints of what was suppressed begin to surface. But the situation is no longer tragic. Because Canada can be a safe place to confront the past, make peace with it, and choose a future.

That’s what Alison — the part of author Alison Pick showcased in this memoir — does. She shows Canadians how this journey into identity can be done. The journey is not easy. Alison tries to reclaim her Jewish heritage in a Jewish community that protects itself with many barriers. As a reader, you will laugh, cry, and roll your eyes along with Alison.

Alison begins her journey with a fantasy. She will meet a Jewish man, and they will fall in love. She will slip into his Jewish family, take on the clearly defined role of Jewish wife, and live the way her great-grandmother did in Europe generations ago.

But — as Alison Pick the writer shows us — the gritty psychic reality of Alison’s determination contrasts with the simple fantasy. The quest comes comes to animate every sensory detail of Alison’s life. Alison hears a door close down the hall, just as the rabbi says “no” to her and closes off an important opportunity. Alison realizes she can tolerate the taste of her mother’s holiday cooking and forgives her for being Christian, reserved, and a mother.

In Alison Pick’s hands, the ordinary becomes extraordinary.  Little questions become big questions. We watch as Alison remakes her life — one mistake, one insight, one flash of empathy, one victory at a time.

Alison Pick tells a Canadian story, not unfamiliar in a nation with many immigrants. She also tells a human story, familiar to anyone who thinks, feels, dreams, perceives, remembers, and retells. Without disrupting Alison’s narrative, she lets us know:  Alison’s journey in Between Gods is a true story. It is true and it is also a story. Thus, it expresses only one facet of author Alison Pick’s worldview.

Seeing the world through the lens of this one story opened my eyes, mind, and heart. Here’s hoping we have the opportunity to read more and see more from the perspective of this gifted and skilled writer.

Image: www.bcacheivement.com