• The Umbrella Mender

The Umbrella Mender

by Christine Fischer Guy

September 1, 2014 | ISBN 978-1-894987-90-5 | 300 Pages

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Much is undecided. The doctors talk over me, debating the possibility that I’ll speak again. Though a stroke has left her mute, the story Hazel has to share is unforgettable. As a talented nurse in the early 1950s, she went to Moose Factory to help fight the epidemic of tuberculosis that was ravaging the indigenous peoples of the north. Each week the boat brought new patients from the Nunavik region to the little hospital. It was a desperate undertaking, fraught with cultural and language difficulties that hampered the urgent, sometimes reckless, efforts of the medical staff. Hazel is soon distracted… Read more

Excerpts

Click here to read an excerpt from The Umbrella Mender.

Events with Christine Fischer Guy

    • The Minerva Reader is back! (Lisa de Nikolits, The Minerva Reader, 11/01/2019)
      "I was quite haunted by this book. Enduring characters are a mark of wonderful fiction."
    • Review (Andrew Wilmot, Broken Pencil, 01/08/2015)
      “Fischer Guy’s writing is strong, well paced, and evocative. The northern setting is rendered more through the characters’ interactions than by excessive detail, which works to the novel’s advantage. And the relationships, especially those between Hazel and Ruth, and Hazel and Doctor Lachlan, reinforce this.”
    • Review (Small Press Bookwatch, 09/03/2015)
      "A terrifically entertaining read from first page to last.... Deftly crafted characters and a complex but gripping plot."
    • Review (Laura Rock, Ottawa Review of Books, 31/12/2014)
      “Fischer Guy writes supple sentences that rarely call attention to themselves. They are as fluid and forceful as the river, uncommonly beautiful.”
    • "The CanLit umbrella" (Philip Marchand, National Post, 25/11/2014)
      “The arc of the narrative is a tragic one, and the turn of events shocking and distressing…. Guy, fortunately, keeps the reader interested partly because she avoids setting up stereotypical opposites.”
    • Remember 2019? (Lisa de Nikolits, a turn of phrase, 04/03/2025)
      I was quite haunted by this book. An upcoming event, to be hosted by Christine Fischer Guy, titled, Unforgettable Women in Fiction, reminded me how unforgettable her Hazel is. She is as strong in my mind today as she was back then. Enduring characters are a mark of wonderful fiction."
    • Novelist Christine Fischer Guy on the Value of Canadian Stories (Open Book, 28/01/2019)
      Christine Fischer Guy discusses the value of Canadian Stories in a video for I Value Canadian Stories.
    • "Companions, Interlocutors, Mentors and Time Thieves" (Kerry Clare, 49th Shelf, 11/12/2014)
      "The Umbrella Mender is a novel with tremendous depth, with nothing at all careless in its construction. And its author's skills as a careful reader and skilled writer are clearly in evidence here with a list of books that informed her during the years she was writing her book."
    • "Last-minute gift ideas: indie booksellers hand-pick fiction" (Quill & Quire, 10/12/2014)
      The Umbrella Menderwas featured as one of six fiction titles hand-picked by independent booksellers.
    • "Christine Fischer Guy: I am Jude" (Christine Fischer Guy, National Post, 18/11/2014)
      “It’s a sort of possession-ventriloquism hybrid that happens when we create the world of a novel and the people in it…. At some point during the fourth draft, they ceased to be characters I invented. They became people I knew.”
    • "Cover to cover: Marijke Friesen on designing The Umbrella Mender" (Becky Robertson, Quill & Quire, 20/10/2014)
      "Combining elements of earlier iterations left us all feeling as though we finally had the right cover."
    • "Fall Preview Week: Day Two, Publisher's Picks" (Amber Goldie, All Lit Up, 23/09/2014)
      “Christine Fischer Guy had me at ‘itinerant umbrella mender who is searching for the Northwest Passage.’ That the conception of this novel comes from a memoir of a relative of the author is a draw — it’s that confluence of history and fiction that now blended, become truth. The book trailer is lovely — atmospheric and inviting.”
    • "First Fiction Fridays: The Umbrella Mender" (All Lit Up, 19/09/2014)
      “With sharply drawn characters and impeccable prose, The Umbrella Mender draws readers into the past, the isolated north and the lives of those who lived there. It’s a story that lingers long after the book is closed.”
    • "Best Canadian Book Trailers" (Kerry Clare, 49th Shelf, 04/09/2014)
      “Readers are eagerly awaiting The Umbrella Mender, the debut novel by award-winning writer Christine Fischer-Guy, which promises to be as beautiful and haunting as its trailer.”
    • "Video of the Week: Book Trailer for Christine Fischer Guy's Debut, The Umbrella Mender" (Grace O'Connell, Open Book Toronto, 25/08/2014)
      "In one of our favourite recent book trailers, debut author Christine Fischer Guy makes use of stop motion animation and some serious art skills (contributed by Sophia Oppel) to spread the word about her new novel, The Umbrella Mender (Wolsak & Wynn)."
    • "First novel from Award-Winning Alumna" (jharris124, Words in Place: English @ Waterloo, 17/08/2014)
      The blog for the Department of English Language and Literature at the University of Waterloo posted a congratulations to Christine Fischer Guy for the publication of her first novel.
    • "Most Anticipated: Our 2014 Fall Fiction Preview" (Kerry Clare, 49th Shelf, 05/08/2014)
      Kerry Clare lists The Umbrella Mender as one of their most anticipated fiction titles for fall 2014.
    • Christine Fischer Guy is a Page Turner. Are You? (Project Bookmark Canada, 30/04/2014)
      "Fellow Page Turner Miriam Toews calls Christine's book 'an absolutely compelling read from start to finish.'"

  • Christine Fischer Guy’s fiction has appeared in journals across Canada and has been nominated for the Journey Prize. She reviews for the Globe and Mail, contributes to Ryeberg.com and themillions.com and teaches creative writing at the School for Continuing Studies at the University of Toronto. She is also an award-winning journalist. She has lived and worked in London, England, and now lives in Toronto.