August 2025

The Tin Flute - Gabrielle Roy

Part of the reason I wanted to start an entirely Canadian book club is because I think there are so many amazing writers in this country. And contrary to what many an internet listicle might have you believe we do have classic literature here as well.

That’s why I chose the Tin Flute. My mom’s old copy from high school in 1972 has been sitting on my bookshelf for ages and I keep meaning to read it. Clearly it was so celebrated at the time it became part of the school curriculum so I figured we should add a little summer school to the book club with a classic.

The Tin Flute, Gabrielle Roy's first novel, is a classic of Canadian fiction. Imbued with Roy's unique brand of compassion and compelling understanding, this moving story focuses on a family in the Saint-Henri slums of Montreal, its struggles to overcome poverty and ignorance, and its search for love.

An affecting story of familial tenderness, sacrifice, and survival during the Second World War, The Tin Flutewon both the Governor General's Literary Award for fiction in 1947 and the Prix Fémina of France. The novel was made into a critically acclaimed motion picture in 1983.