Books & Audiobooks
It’s always nice to discover a new author, especially a Canadian talent.
While Vancouver-based Eddy Boudel Tan isn’t a new author—his first novel, After Elias, was published in 2020—his writing is new to me. I first had the pleasure of reading his work this winter as his latest novel, The Tiger and the Cosmonaut, was shortlisted for the Giller Prize in 2025. Boudel Tan writes very readable contemporary drama, with wonderful character development and world building. His books are like peeling back an onion; he reveals more and more layers and complexity as the novel continues. His books start out going in one very specific direction, and you think they will focus on that theme, but then he takes you to places you never would have expected. Race, sexuality, mental health, and the impact of family relationships are topics often explored. While his novels do deal with heavy issues, I have to say they don’t feel too dark or bring me down when reading them; instead, I come out filled with curiosity and thinking about the many themes and questions that he tackles.
Boudel Tan writes stories that depict a “complicated truth” (to quote from his second novel, The Rebellious Tide). Living in a time when people are so quick to paint things as strictly black or white, I love that Eddy Boudel Tan creates a world of grey. Characters are not one thing or another…it is never that simple; he presents slow reveals of very complicated beings. While The Tiger and the Cosmonaut is my favourite, I really enjoyed all three of Boudel Tan’s books. If you are looking for an exciting new author, you may want to give them a try too!
Read on for a closer look at each of his novels.
The Tiger and the Cosmonaut
Casper Han grew up in a small BC town as the son of immigrant parents. Now living with his boyfriend in Vancouver, he and his siblings must travel back to his hometown to deal with a family emergency; their elderly father has gone missing. This suspenseful page-turner explores racism, family trauma, and the crushing weight that memories can carry in one’s life.
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The Rebellious Tide
Sebastien was raised by his single, struggling mother, only hearing stories of his mysterious sailor father who abandoned them before he was born. With her passing, he is driven to find him and discover the truth. This obsession leads Sebastien to the luxury liner on which Kostas, his father, works and lives. Posing as a member of the crew, Sebastien tries to get the answers he longs for and comes to learn about his father, himself, but also identity and perception in general. Sebastien is the ship’s photographer and much like a photo, he realizes that you may see one thing at first glance but as you look deeper and longer so much more is revealed.
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After Elias
Coen is set to marry the man that he loves at a picture-perfect Mexican resort. That all changes when the plane piloted by his boyfriend, Elias, crashes a week before the wedding. Already in Mexico, Coen remains at the place that was to bring him such happiness and begins the grieving process. Forced to face tragedy and regret, Coen is also left to grapple with the plane’s recording containing Elias’ mysterious last words.
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