Almost Visible
Tess has just moved to Montreal from Nova Scotia, and seeks to lose herself by getting involved in the lives of others. She befriends an older man while delivering meals to the elderly. Her interest in his past veers into obsession after she furtively goes through his photos and letters and “borrows” his journal. Though fact and fiction are blurred, they reveal a man shaken by political polarization and repression in his Latin-American homeland.
Tess learns about a young, passionate man in the 1970s forced to reconcile his love for a militant young woman and his dedication to his best friend whose family is on the other side of the political divide.
As she delves deeper into the man’s story, she questions her own life choices, emotions and obsessions. Exploring cultural and personal memory, Almost Visible reflects on what can happen when a lonely person intervenes in another person's life.
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Reviews
Selected by The Miramichi Reader for 2022 Best Fiction
Almost Visible is a powerful study in themes of cultural and personal memory that engages the reader with honest characterizations, vivid settings, and effective imagery. Every word, every moment, has a place in her writing. This makes for an excellent reading.
Foreword Reviews, by Karen Rigby
A poignant, time-traversing literary novel about the rewards of daring to involve oneself in a stranger’s pain.
Montreal Review of Books
Mysterious Moralities, by Sruti Islam
Are any of us reliable narrators when it comes to the stories of our lives?
Ottawa Review of Books, by Wayne Ng
Where many literary fiction novels are grounded in language, purpose, and themes, Sinclair's inspiration was a feeling -- empathy.
Book Lists
Scotiabank Giller - Craving Canlit
A novel that wisely and compassionately explores the self-shattering lines that exist between altruism and betrayal, cynicism and idealism, and the harsh price paid by both sides.
David Adams Richards, Giller and Governor General Award winner
Author testimonials
…(she) takes the reader into the lives of characters on the cusp of adulthood as they navigate their worlds. From Montréal to an unnamed country in South America on the verge of a civil war, we see how family secrets impact the lives of the unsuspecting. I found myself thinking about “Almost Visible” and the book’s characters for weeks after turning the final page.
Blossom Thom, Montreal Poet, author of #HashtagRelief (Gaspereau 2017)
A strong debut novel with memorable, fully-realized characters. The research into activism in 70s era Latin America makes for compelling and fascinating reading, and the contemporary story is equally inspiring.
Frances Boyle, author of Seeking Shade, Openwork and Limestone, and Skin Hunger (April 2024).
She hits you with some extraordinary language and metaphors that make you wonder how a new writer has the audacity, talent, and courage to push and blur the boundaries.
Wayne Ng, Author of Finding the Way: a novel of Lao Tzu, Letters from Johnny, The Family Code, and Johnny Delivers (2024)
There is an intensity in Michelle Sinclair’s writing – depth of insight into each character, each setting, and each moment – that draws the reader into the worlds of her story.
Anne M. Smith-Nochasak, Author of A Canoer of Shorelines and The Ice Widow.
A story about deep human connection wrapped in images of great beauty. Sinclair's novel offers a cross-cultural exploration of a fractured past turned into a contemporary obsession. A delightful read.
Claudio Palomares-Salas, Associate Professor of Hispanic Studies - Queen’s University, and author of El lugar más triste para soñar.
Listen to the Almost Visible
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Thank you to everyone who has shared photos of Almost Visible around the world!
