The Authors Book Club

Lauren’s second novel, This Has Nothing To Do With You has been described as a “compassionate, truthful, one of a kind novel that makes you think deeply. Another definite book club pick” (Nadia’s Pick, United Library Service). Her debut novel, Swarm, was described as “one of the more realistic recent imaginings of the shape of things to come” by the Toronto Star, and long-listed for Canada Reads in 2014. She is the author of two poetry collections, Following Sea and Lichen Bright, and her short fiction has appeared in multiple literary journals and anthologies, including Best Canadian Stories (edited by John Metcalf). Based near Winnipeg, Manitoba, she is working on a novel and collections of poetry and short stories while supporting writers through classes, retreats, coaching, and blogging. 

Her next book, a short story collection called Places Like These, will be published by Book*hug Press in April 2023.

Visit Lauren’s website.

Contact Lauren. Follow her on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

From the publisher:

When Melony Barnett’s mother commits a violent murder, Mel is left struggling with the loss of her parents and her future. For more than two years, she drifts around the continent, trying to carve out a life that has nothing to do with her past, before returning to her Northern Ontario home and adopting a rescue dog—a mastiff with a tragic history. As she struggles to help the dog heal and repair her relationship with her brother, Matt, she begins to uncover layers of secrets about her family —secrets that were the fuel for her mother’s actions.

This Has Nothing to Do With You is a compulsively readable novel that follows a dynamic cast of characters, revealing the complexity of the bonds that are formed through trauma and grief—with siblings, lovers, friends, and dogs.

To learn more about Lauren’s other works, visit her website.

Praise