Canadian literature is having a banner year in 2022, with bookstores packed with stunning new works covering everything from historical fiction to short stories. What Canada reads, Canada is also listening to. Check out these luscious listens, audiobooks to watch out for, book award-winners, finalists, and longlist champions. From Montreal to Vancouver, these are the top Canadian audiobooks of 2022.
Narrated by Marvel star and stuntman Simu Liu, We Were Dreamers: An Immigrant Superhero Origin Story tells the tumultuous tale of Liu’s journey from Harbin, China, to Mississauga, Ontario. Not the easiest of transitions, that’s for sure, and We Were Dreamers pulls back the curtain on life as an immigrant in modern Canada. The contradictions of exterior success and inner turmoil punctuate this fascinating listen, brilliantly narrated by the author.
We Were Dreamers isn’t your usual audio autobiography. It thrusts the listener into an Ontario that is difficult to understand, a rollercoaster of a journey packed with ups, downs, struggles, and successes. Of course, this journey leads Simu Liu to mainstream success as an in-demand movie stuntman, but the real dangers lay on the road there. Undoubtedly a tremendous Canadian audiobook,* We Were Dreamers* is a genuinely universal listen and nonfiction at its most gripping.
A fabulously intricate audiobook, Sea of Tranquility is undoubtedly one of the best Canadian books of 2022. Emily St. John Mandel has been a star since the release of her novel and HBO series Station Eleven. However, Sea of Tranquility might be the British Columbia writer at her very best.
Stunningly narrated by a rounded cast featuring John Lee, Kirsten Potter, and more, Sea of Tranquility is troublingly prescient, built around a cast of characters that includes the author of a book about a fictional pandemic. But that is only the tip of the iceberg, as Sea of Tranquility reveals layer upon layer with every passing chapter. This audiobook weaves multiple stories within each other with the grace of a dancer, creating historical fiction that is so easy to fall in love with.
2022 is the year of romance, no matter what the cynics say. You can’t beat a charming piece of romantic fiction, but Lily Chu’s The Comeback takes what a love story is expected to be and ramps the passion up to 11.
Voiced by American Broadway actress Phillipa Soo (Hamilton), The Comeback tells the story of Ariadne Hui, a career-obsessed lawyer working her way to the top of the most prominent law firm in Toronto. No time for love, right? Wrong. With the arrival of her roommate’s cousin, Ariadne’s life is about to get a lot more complicated, and she finds herself in the middle of a love and work balance that is threatening everything.
The Comeback is a thrilling listen from start to finish, packed with sparkling characters and simmering settings that positively jump out of the speakers. A book club staple already, The Comeback is the sort of audiobook that will dominate end-of-year lists when they come around.
Ontario writer and journalist Paul Palango leaves the listener in no doubt with that title. 22 Murders is an audiobook that dives deep into one of Canada’s deadliest serial killers, but the real focus is on the failure of the police to act.
The massacre that ripped the heart out of Portapique, Nova Scotia, in 2020 left the whole of Canada reeling, but the local police seemed utterly paralyzed while the events were unfolding. Why was this? What could anyone have done? Why did 22 innocent people have to die before anything happened?
Narrated by Matthew Hawkins, 22 Murders isn’t the easiest Canadian listen of 2022, but it might be the most important.
Just when FBI psychic Nate Russo thought he could rest, the world threw him another curveball. Can Nate come to terms with his tangles with the terrifying Boneman? Canadian author Andrew Pyper and Vancouver actor Joshua Jackson pick up where the debut novel Oracle left off with Oracle 2: The Dreamland Murders, a shocking tour de force of twists and turns that leaves the listener breathless.
Pyper is a dab hand at marrying the supernatural with the classic, creating a murder mystery that is up there with anything released in 2022. Oracle 2: The Dreamland Murders is a terrifying listen, but good luck pressing pause with this one.
A murder mystery with twists around every corner, The Maid is a stunner of an audiobook from Toronto’s Nita Prose. Charmingly narrated by Lauren Ambrose of Six Feet Under fame, this tale of a maid (hence the title) veers a little from the norm, and step-by-step proves itself a listen that puts smiles on faces.
Molly Gray is having a tough time, but her discovery of a dead body in a hotel suite is about to make everything just a bit more complicated. Can Molly prove herself innocent of the murder, or will her eccentricities be her downfall? The Maid is an unpausable listen that deserves its New York Times best-seller status.
Hockey is Canada’s national obsession. Kids learn to skate at about the same time they learn to walk, and the NHL is front page news even when nothing is happening. Younger fans might not realize it, but the modern hockey world is a universe away from the 1970s—as Ken Dryden can attest.
In The Series: What I Remember, What It Felt Like, What It Feels Like Now, Dryden, a former Montreal Canadiens goalie, tells the story of the famous 1972 Summit Series between Canada and the Soviet Union. It was the first time the best had played the best; needless to say, it was one for the ages.
Dryden narrates the book brilliantly, adding knowledge and understanding to the ebbs and flows of action on the ice.
Gabor Maté is revolutionary; make no mistake about it. The Budapest-born and Vancouver-made psychologist, physician, and writer has been the driving force behind a shift in thinking on all things addiction. The Myth of Normal is another stunner brilliantly narrated by his co-author and son, Daniel Maté.
The Myth of Normal takes a humane approach, focusing on the person instead of the problem. It makes for a captivating audiobook, satisfying anyone with even a cursory interest in the workings of the mind at its lowest ebbs. Gorgeously written and narrated, The Myth of Normal should be mandatory listening for anyone and everyone.
A match made in heaven? Lofty praise, for sure, but the envelope-pushing words of Ontario author Iain Reid were made for the steely yet sparkling narration of Audible Hall of Famer Robin Miles. We Spread is the latest audiobook from Reid, best-selling author of I’m Thinking of Ending Things, a stirring tale of stagnation and creativity in equal measure.
What does it mean to grow old? What is time? These questions can cripple the mind, but they can also unlock doors that lead to new layers of creativity and excitement.
Reid is a master of sparseness, and We Spread is the best example yet of his style. As this captivating listen proves, the world needs more Reid and Miles.
Peguis First Nations writer Joshua Whitehead burst onto the scene in 2018 with his debut novel Jonny Appleseed, but the Manitoba author’s first foray into nonfiction is vital on a different level. Narrated by the author, Making Love with the Land takes a deep dive into the relationships that define us, blurring the lines of prose along the way.
Making Love with the Land is equal parts memoir, investigation, confession, and treatise. But above all, it is a brilliant listen. There have been many top Canadian books in 2022, but few are as stirring and stimulating as this beautiful nonfiction piece.
Genevieve Graham is an author passionate about bringing Canadian history to life. Set in the First World War, Bluebird weaves fictional characters into a story inspired by real events. The storyline is split across two eras, the past and the present.
This historical romance starts in Scotland but eventually takes listeners to Canada. A beautiful love story develops between a nurse and a soldier before it is interrupted by tragedy and family secrets. This is one of the most powerful titles to be released in 2022.
This stunning listen will teach you a thing or two about Canada’s role in the war and the types of young people who put their lives (and love lives) on the line during the war.
Two people get strangled to death in different eras in history. But it’s no coincidence. New York Times best-selling Canadian author Kelley Armstrong stuns listeners with A Rip Through Time, a chilling murder mystery with a wild twist.
In this breathtaking audio performance by Kate Handford, listeners are taken on a journey of time travel to uncover the link between these heinous crimes. This historical detective story sees a modern-day detective landing into the world of an 1869 investigator.
Armstrong’s story is a particular hit with Canadian listeners as there are plenty of references to Canada throughout the novel. It’s a truly unique audiobook you’ll want to add to your library in 2022 and listen to for years to come.
American-born Canadian author Linwood Barclay is known for his popular crime novels, and he delivered again in 2022 with the release of Take Your Breath Away. This psychological crime thriller follows the strange events surrounding Andy Mason and his wife, Brie.
After seemingly losing everything he knows and loves, Andy eventually moves on with his life. Until one day, a visitor at his door threatens his peace and points to what may have happened to Brie. Is she dead or alive? This gripping mystery is performed by an entire cast of narrators who indeed do Barclay’s storytelling justice.
True stories inspire Looking for Jane, an empowering fiction novel that sheds light on the reality of women’s reproductive rights in the 1960s. This moving listen by Canadian writer Heather Marshall follows the stories of three women who find themselves in heartbreaking and challenging situations, all related to pregnancy and abortion.
Looking for Jane is an ode to the women of the past, present and future who navigate an unwanted pregnancy and attempt to overcome the stigma that comes with it. Sarah Borges beautifully narrates this must-listen 2022 title.
Burning Questions stands out from the other titles on this list. Here, the celebrated Canadian author Margaret Atwood presents a collection of essays and occasional pieces dating from 2004 to 2021. Margaret Atwood made headlines in 2017 when her novel The Handmaid’s Tale was adapted into a popular television series.
The collection is defined by Atwood’s sharp wit, with plenty of humour for good measure. Honest and open, the essays dive into a wide variety of issues that Atwood holds close to her heart. From literature to feminism and human rights, Burning Questions is a 2022 title that you won’t want to miss.
