The Giller Prize 2026 Shortlist

A hilarious, sensitive, and heady working-class odyssey rife with metaphorical richness and references to literature, film, and 90s music, Your Breath in Charcoal peers into the mind of its irrepressible and relentlessly quotable East Coast everyman. 

An extraordinary novel that takes us unflinchingly into a storm of deadly conflict through the eyes of its youngest participants, The Small Ones is a searing look at cycles of coercion, bloodshed and war, and the cost of escaping them for the hope of a better life.

A taut, exquisitely rendered story exploring the repercussions of a woman’s decision to hide her Métis identity while living in a small, predominantly white prairie town in the 1940s.

From the award-winning and bestselling author of Five Little Indians comes a powerful family saga following three generations of Cree women and the storytelling tradition that connects them to each other.

In this haunting debut novel, a private tragedy thrusts one family into the court of public opinion as the media—and their own community—dissect every aspect of their lives.