Description

1 Oct. 2026. PRE-ORDER NOW

Set in New Brunswick and Cuba, Missy Whynaught is a coming-of-age story that uses dark humour and magical realism to explore complex issues of sexuality, childhood neglect, poverty and the racist legacies of colonialism. With raw and candid wit, it explores how one girl survives the relationships she was born into and the ones she makes throughout her life.

Elizabeth Ball is a writer, social worker and mother of three living in Montreal. Her stories have been published in The Dalhousie Review, Qwerty, Prism International, The Missouri Review and elsewhere. She was shortlisted for the 2026 CBC Short Story Award, Room Magazine’s 2019 Fiction Contest, nominated for the 2019 Journey Prize, and in 2022 short listed for the Commonwealth Fiction Prize. Her writing has been financially supported by Le Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec and the Canada Council of the Arts. Missy Whynaught is her first novel and she is currently at work on her second.

PRAISE AND REVIEWS

“I love this writer’s trespasses and boldness. And also her odd sense of humour, which is bound to move into unchartered writing territories. I look forward to reading.” –– Heather O’Neill, author of Lullabies for Little Criminals, Valentine in Montreal, and more

“I am continually impressed with Elizabeth’s economy of language, her sharp wit, and her taboo-defying storylines. This writer’s fiction is a unique offering to the canon of Canadian literature.” ––Tracey Waddleton, author of Send More Tourists… the Last Ones Were Delicious.

“Elizabeth Ball’s story “Poverty Hill” is an energetic, chaos-fueled journey into the drama, the humor, and the frustration of growing up in a close-knit family beset by poverty and dysfunction.” –– The Missouri Review