Toronto, I Love You

Raymond Dossougb flees the misery of his hometown in Benin and arrives in Toronto, where he is immediately charmed by it. He sees the city as a place of freedom and light, a sanctuary where he, like so many others, can begin anew. But as he becomes familiar with the city and its inhabitants, he realizes that his Afro-Caribbean roommates look like him but aren't his brothers. He sees them as mentally shackled, stuck in the past, unable and unwilling to adapt. He sees deep poverty, extreme wealth, and the consequences of police brutality. Eventually he finds his bearings in this new world and comes to a better understanding of his new self and the colourful characters around him.

Toronto je t?aimewon the Prix Trillium when it first came out in 2000. (From Mawenzi House Publishers)

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Didier Leclair is a Francophone fiction writer, based in Toronto. His work includes This Country of Mine, which was a finalist for the 2019 Toronto Book Awards, and Ce pays qui est le mien, which was shortlisted for the 2004 Governor General's Award for French-language fiction.

Elaine Kennedy is a translator and editor, who focuses on literary translation. She has translated short stories, memoirs and essays. Kennedy lives in Montreal.