Easy, fast read --- references throughout to places and various recognizable locations around Victoria make this book thoroughly enjoyable. Not often you get a book that is "so close to home."

A very engaging read.

Loved the weaving of the narratives, and the looking back while looking forward. The characters and their stories are gritty, yet seem so real. There are no promises of happy endings, just intriguing storytelling. I found myself reading more and more quickly eager to know what was going to happen as the pieces of people's lives were revealed. A great novel for reading over the Christmas holidays, most enjoyable. One of my favourite novels of 2012!

This book is actually two stories, one of the birth family of this baby girl and how she came to be abandoned, the other the story of the girl over a period of 16-17 years. Both stories are told by the girl, from her perspective. What was especially interesting to me was seeing/living the girl's life from inside her. We don't normally get to see what another person is thinking, especially in situations like this. All of the characters are flawed; however, it is obvious that most of them are doing the best they can in an imperfect world. Thought-provoking and hopeful are words I would use to describe this novel, despite the unbearable things that happen in it.

Anh excellent first book. Despite the fact that Shannon was an abandoned child always looking for her real identity, it reflects how many people live in the same way. And, finally, looking back, realize that their life was good.

Doesn't live up to the hype. Suspect it is so popular due the the many Victoria mentions.

Stunning debut novel on the Giller long list.

Loved this book for the fact that it made me feel both deeply upset and also giggle aloud. What constitutes a family; is it blood or is it something much, much larger? This is a story burning with truth that is so often untold. Fiction with thought.

This story is written in alternating chapters of Shannon's story and her birth mother's story. It takes place on Vancouver Island and is full of references to island life. I enjoyed the Canadian setting. The story is very dark and depressing in many places but it draws you through to the end with the hope of a happier conclusion..

The fact that Marjorie Celona has remained my best friend for the past 26 years undoubtedly influences my review of her debut novel. However, I can say with certainty that, even if I didn't know Celona personally, her story and its cast of flawed but deeply endearing characters would still have me captivated. Unsurprisingly, "Y" begins on the doorstep of Victoria's YMCA, where a young and frightened Yula abandons her newborn daughter. This infant, Shannon, becomes the novel's omniscient narrator, moving through foster homes and constantly seeking roots. An outlooker and a chameleon, Shannon guides the reader through a complex and disturbing family history that ends with Yula's dramatic decision. The tale deftly combines comedy with tragedy, inevitability with unexpectedness and casual acquaintance with intimacy. Ultimately, "Y" profoundly poses the question we always ask when life takes one turn instead of another: why?