Winner of the 2021 Alberta Literary Awards’ George Bugnet Award for Fiction
Winner of the 2021 Indie Author Project Award for Alberta
Shortlisted for the 2021 ReLit Award for Fiction
A Casual Optimist Book Cover of Note
An exciting debut novel told in connected short stories that captures the diverse and complicated networks of people who stretch our communities—sometimes farther than we know.
Set in the cities, reserves, and rural reaches of Alberta, Katie Bickell’s debut novel is told in a series of stories that span the years from 1990 to 2016, through cycles of boom and bust in the oil fields, government budget cuts and workers rights policies, the rising opioid crisis, and the intersecting lives of people whose communities sometimes stretch farther than they know.
We meet a teenage runaway who goes into labour at the West Edmonton Mall, a doctor managing hospital overflow in a time of healthcare cutbacks, a broke dad making extra pay through a phone sex line, a young musician who dreams of fame beyond the reserve, and a dedicated hockey mom grappling with sense of self when she’s no longer needed—or welcome—at the rink.
Always Brave, Sometimes Kind captures a network of friends, caregivers, in-laws, and near misses, with each character’s life coming into greater focus as we learn more about the people around them. Tracing alliances and betrayals from different perspectives over decades, Bickell writes an ode to home and community that is both warm and gritty, well-defined and utterly complicated.
Ghostwritten by K.H. Bickell
Born into a hardworking family in rural Alberta, Ged Vanberg learned early on that the road to success is often paved with sweat and sacrifice. Life in Repair follows Ged’s journey from a young boy laboring in the fields of Fairview to becoming a self-made man in Canada’s booming oil industry. In this honest and captivating memoir, Ged reflects on his early struggles with poverty, the values instilled by his resilient parents, and the hard-won lessons that shaped his character.
Ged’s story is one of grit, determination, and the pursuit of a better future. From working long hours to save for childhood needs, to building a career in heavy-duty mechanics, to eventually spearheading global corporate success, Ged’s path was never easy. But with each challenge came invaluable wisdom that fueled his passion for growth.
A testament to the power of perseverance, Life in Repair will inspire readers to face their own hardships with courage and optimism, reminding us all that true prosperity comes not from wealth, but from purpose.
Ghostwritten by K.H. Bickell
Born into a nation divided by race and class, and a home cleaved by tragedy, George Kelham’s wants were few. He wished for a happy family, a place to belong, and the freedom to find success through hard work. Oh, and somehow, to fly…
Conscripted into service as a teen by a country at war with itself, George’s first experience on a helicopter was spent peering out its open door with a gun on his hip. As he fought to keep himself and others alive, he vowed that someday he’d be that guy: the one who dropped platoons into thick wilderness, and the one everyone longed to see show up for rescue after. A pilot.
Fleeing home at the behest of his parents when it became clear how little those in command valued the life of young men, George journeyed the world alone through the unforgiving terrain of African nations, London’s wild, wonderful, and impoverished punk rock scene, America’s stretching highways, and through the relentless cold of Canadian winters. Through it all, George held on to his dream. Little did he know, obtaining a pilot’s license would only be the beginning of a much wilder ride.
Vertical Lift is the dramatic and inspiring true story of how one man can lose everything, time after time, before eventually achieving freedom, family, home, and success.
Reviews
Restless seeking leads a man from Rhodesia to Canada — and to his calling as a pilot.
“George Kelham’s memoir Vertical Lift: A Heli-Pilot’s Mission for Freedom, Family, and Success has layers of meaning about identity and career drive. As told to K.H. Bickell, the story recounts how the author formed a family and developed a business while dealing with the challenges of frequent migration. A wide audience will find much to admire in this unusual personal story.
There is great attention to historical detail in this memoir, whether talking about Rhodesia in wartime (“cigarette lighters were impossible to find, so people used matches”) or a 21st-century Canadian wildfire (“residents returned to scorched earth where their homes had stood”). The tone is suffused with nostalgia. George’s identity is tied to the countries he has come to know, yet he seems ambivalent about his homeland and his family of origin, and he longs for a better life in which he can follow his bliss. Vertical Lift rigorously sticks to chronological order. This makes George’s flight path easy to follow. Readers could take away a number of lessons in Vertical Lift, and they may have to decide for themselves what the story means for them. Someone might notice, for example, that some helicopter pilots thrive in the military while other pilots, like George, do well in private business. Is that difference driven by innate personality or by situations? Here, it’s left open. Life presents vast possibilities for each of us, despite our challenges and constraints. This thoughtful memoir implicitly asks us to consider how war and immigration restrictions affect people’s lives, and it invites us to imagine what next year might hold for us if we put in the hard work today.”
– Tucker Lieberman, Independent Book Review
