Michael Christie is the author of three books. His most recent, the novel Greenwood, was an international bestseller, was longlisted for the Giller Prize, won the Arthur Ellis Award, and has been translated into 10 languages. His debut novel, If I Fall, If I Die (which is being reissued in 2026), was longlisted for the Giller Prize, the Kirkus Prize, was selected as a New York Times Editors’ Choice Pick, and was on numerous best-of 2015 lists. His linked collection of stories, The Beggar’s Garden, was longlisted for the Giller Prize, shortlisted for the Writers’ Trust Prize for Fiction, and won the Vancouver Book Award. A former carpenter and homeless shelter worker, he lives in Victoria, the unceded territory of the Lkwungen speaking people, and the Songhees, Esquimalt, and WSÁNEC First Nations.
“A sweet coming-of-age story… but Christie goes further, adding to the mix a Hardy Boys-style mystery about bootlegged alcohol, pet wolves that never forget a human scent, and generally shady goings-on in abandoned grain elevators… Compelling.” –The Globe and Mail
Will has never been Outside, at least not that he can remember. For most of his young life he has lived happily Inside with his mother, Diane, a fiercely loving yet wildly eccentric agoraphobe who drowns in panic at the thought of opening the front door. Then, one day, Will ventures Outside clad in a protective helmet and braces himself for danger.
Instead, Will finds his newfound freedom with enthusiasm and eventually befriends Jonah, a quiet Native boy who introduces him to the most reckless and exhilarating activity he’s ever seen: skateboarding. Even as Diane’s fears intensify, Will finds his own fears fading and his body hardening with each new bruise, scrape, and fall. But life Outside quickly grows complicated, and Diane finds herself grappling with her greatest fear: will she be brave enough to save her son?
Full of dazzling prose and irresistible characters, If I Fall, If I Die is a beautifully tender and unforgettable story.
In the spirit of reconciliation, we acknowledge that we live, work and play on the traditional territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy (Siksika, Kainai, Piikani), the Tsuut’ina, the Iyarhe Nakoda Nations, the Otipemisiwak Métis Government of the Métis Nation within Alberta District 6, and all people who make their homes in the Treaty 7 region of Southern Alberta.
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