Review: Wonder World
Coming of Age
WONDER WORLD by KR Byggdin (2022) is an exceptionally accomplished novel for a debut (or for any stage in a writer's career). This is the funny and poignant story of a queer person, estranged from his Mennonite pastor father, dramatically dysfunctional family, and the people in the small Manitoba hometown who want to figuratively pickle their young people in a jar so that they can't be touched by the ungodly outside world.
Isaac comes home only because his father called to say his grandfather, Opa, has died and left him Wonder World in the will. Bouncing between hilarious and heartbreaking, this is the story of not just what happened after Isaac went back, but what has happened in the community in the ten years he's been away. Wonder World gets a new identity!
For fans of humour, quirky characters, Canadiana, romcom-adjacent fiction, and anyone with a heart.
This novel deservedly won the Thomas Raddall Prize for Atlantic Fiction in 2023, and KR Byggdin thanks the @writersfedofns for the Alistair MacLeod Mentorship that helped them complete it. I can't wait to read their next book!
I presented this book at Dartmouth Book Exchange recently, at their monthly Locally Authored Book Club Exchange. Each guest presents a book, then adds it to the basket and at the end everyone picks one out of the basket to take home. Anne O'Connell read from her piece in AWFULLY HILARIOUS period pieces, another guest spoke about Somewhat Grumpy Press’ latest Glen Burwell, A SIN OFFERING, and I took home Sandra Phinney's WAKING UP IN MY OWN BACKYARD.