1. Rohinton Mistry
Rohinton Mistry's greatest literary success has been his novel A Fine Balance. The work centres around the personal, financial, and class struggles of four characters living in Bombay, India. The book won the Giller Prize and the Los Angeles Times Book Award.
2. Heather O'Neill
Heather O'Neill's Lullabies for Little Criminals is the gripping story of young girl in awful circumstances spiraling into a dark life. The novel won the Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction.
3. Sandra Gulland
Sandra Gulland's trilogy detailing the life of Josephine Bonaparte is a superb example of enthralling historical fiction. Her novels take you through Josephine's life against the backdrop of the French Revolution and Bonaparte's rise to Emperor. You will become completely immersed in Josephine's struggle to survive—and thrive—in a tumultuous time.
4. Kate Pullinger
Kate Pullinger managed to breathe new life into the story of Lady Duff Gordon and her lady's maid, Sally. Told from Sally's point-of-view, The Mistress of Nothing explores the two Victorian women's journey and life in Egypt — with Sally coming to realizations about her station and place in the world. The book won the Governor's General Award in 2009.
5. Guy Gavriel Kay
Guy Gavriel Kay has been writing fantasy fiction since 1984. One of his most successful novels, Ysabel, is set in modern day Provence but has a decidedly fantastical vein. The story follows a young protagonist as he wrestles with a new-found ability and a deep-rooted mystery. Ysabel won the 2008 World Fantasy Award for a Novel.
6. Ami McKay
Amy McKay has written two powerful novels, The Birth House and The Virgin Cure, that both explore womanhood and their experiences in largely patriarchal societies. The Virgin Cure introduces us to Moth, a young girl living in the tenements in 1870s New York City. She struggles to find a place for herself in a society that's quite willing to use her up as nothing more than a walking remedy.
7. Saleema Nawaz
Saleema Nawaz brings us the story of two sisters, their struggles growing up in Montreal, and the subsequent search for answers after the sudden death of one sister. Bone & Bread is simply a stunning read.
8. Austin Clarke
Set in Barbados, The Polished Hoe is a contemplation on the history of the island and the effects of colonialism all wrapped up into a riveting mystery. Clarke writes lyrically and uses local dialects to build out his characters. The novel won the Giller Prize in 2002.
9. Eleanor Catton
Eleanor Catton was born in Canada though she now resides in New Zealand. Her second novel The Luminaries was a massive success. Catton won the Man Booker prize in 2013 for that work — and she was ONLY 28 years old. The story brings us into New Zealand's goldfields in the 1860s and introduces us to a company of strong characters and an intriguing mystery.
10. Steven Galloway
Steven Galloway's award-winning The Cellist of Sarajevo is the moving story of a city under siege and the people left to live in the rubble. A cellist plays every day for lives lost to violence while a woman listens and tries to keep him from joining those he plays for.
11. Emma Donoghue
Emma Donoghue follows the success of her novel Room with Frog Music, the story of a burlesque dancer in late 19th Century San Francisco. After the murder of her friend, we uncover the real story of Blanch and the disintegration of her bohemian-American dream.
12. Andrew Pyper
The Demonologist is all you'd hope a book with that title to be: A mysterious and dark journey into worlds better left untouched. Andrew Pyper manages to pull us into the story of a scholarly Demonologist who must embrace belief as he searches the underworld for his captured daughter.
13. Deborah Ellis
Deborah Ellis wrote a children's novel after her experiences working in refugee camps in Afghanistan. The Breadwinner is the story of Parvana, a young girl forced by tragedy to be the main earner for her family. Under the Taliban, Parvana must disguise herself as a boy in order to leave her home and have a chance at supporting her family.