In this new collection of stories, F.B. Andre explores what it means to "belong." Frequently his stories portray individuals involved in mixed relationships, of different cultures and races or backgrounds, of people struggling to feel at home with themselves and their situations. Andre depicts characters newly arrived in Canada as well as those who have called Canada home for generations. With his wonderful ear for dialogue, Andre allows us to listen in on things that are deeply felt, and we are reminded that the unsaid often reveals more than that which is said. In the title story, "What Belongs," Andre depicts a contemporary researcher interviewing a descendant of one of the boatload of Afro Americans that Governor James Douglas invited to settle in British Columbia in 1858. Moving backwards and forwards from the present to the past, Andre asks, When does a place become home? When can you stake your claim? When does it become automatic that we are from here, that we belong?

F.B. André was born in Trinidad, West Indies in 1955 and immigrated to Canada in 1971 as a student. His first ten years in Canada were spent in Ontario before he moved west to Alberta and then on to BC where he currently lives. He has worked at diverse jobs&151:bartender, gold miner, factory worker, café owner and program administrator&151;and these many experiences have enriched his writing. His first book of short stories, The Man Who Beat the Man, was published in 2000 by NeWest Press.What Belongs is his second collection.

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