Gold Winner Johanna Skibsrud, The Sentimentalists

Silver Winner anya Davis, At First, Lonely

Bronze Winner Alexander MacLeod, Light Lifting

Skibsrud won the 2010 Giller Prize, like a total boss, for this novel, so it’s only fitting that she take the Best of Halifax Readers’ Poll too. The Sentimentalists draws upon Skibsrud’s father’s past and her experiences living in Maine near Flagstaff Lake, reinterpreting these memories into something universal. “I feel lucky to come from a province that supports their writers with as much enthusiasm,” says Skibsrud. “To know that people have connected with my novel is the most wonderful reward.”