The 2009 Scotiabank Giller Prize has released its longlist, and it includes Colin McAdam’s second novel, Fall, published by Hamish Hamilton/Penguin Canada. McAdam, as you probably know, has a great piece of short fiction entitled “Red’s Warning”  in our Sept. issue. “Red’s Warning,” a taut dialogue between a kid and his bike-riding drug dealer, features characters from Fall, so really, it’s like we have been longlisted, too…

Congratulations, Colin.

The complete longlist is below. As you can see, Colin is one of only two male authors on the list – no line-ups at the urinal, I guess. It’s a fairly soft-focus list, too, with lots of gauzily poetic historical novels, and not a whole lot for those who prefer their fiction with a little more zing.

Margaret Atwood, The Year of the Flood (McClelland & Stewart)
Martha Baillie, The Incident Report (Pedlar Press)
Kim Echlin, The Disappeared (Penguin Canada)
Claire Holden Rothman, The Heart Specialist (Cormorant Books)
Paulette Jiles, The Colour of Lightning (HarperCollins Canada)
Jeanette Lynes, The Factory Voice (Coteau Books)
Annabel Lyon, The Golden Mean (Random House Canada)
Linden MacIntyre, The Bishop’s Man (Random House Canada)
Colin McAdam, Fall (Penguin Canada)
Anne Michaels, The Winter Vault (McClelland & Stewart)
Shani Mootoo, Valmiki’s Daughter (House of Anansi Press)
Kate Pullinger, The Mistress of Nothing (McArthur & Company)

The shortlist will be announced on Oct. 6.