How to Start Reading David Bergen: The Recommended Path
David Bergen’s novels are almost entirely standalone works of literary fiction, meaning you can jump into his catalog at any point without losing crucial plot continuity. However, for the best reading experience, we recommend starting with his most celebrated work before exploring his thematic companion books and historical pieces.
1. The Ideal Entry Point: The Time in Between (2005)
For most readers, the best starting point is The Time in Between, which won the prestigious Scotiabank Giller Prize in 2005. The novel follows Charles Boatman, a Vietnam War veteran who returns to Vietnam decades later to confront his past, only to disappear. His adult children, Ada and Jon, travel to find him. It is a powerful, atmospheric exploration of trauma, family legacy, and cultural clash, showcasing Bergen’s signature quiet prose at its absolute peak.
2. The Character Connection: The Morris & Lucille Companion Novels
While Bergen does not write traditional series, he has written two novels that are directly connected through characters. If you want to see how he handles character growth across different books, read these in order:
- The Matter with Morris (2010): Focuses on Morris Schutt, a newspaper columnist grieving the loss of his son in the Afghan War while his personal life crumbles.
- Out of Mind (2021): Follows Lucille Black, Morris’s ex-wife, who travels to Thailand. Although it stands perfectly on its own, reading this after The Matter with Morris offers a deeper, multi-dimensional view of their relationship and her personal journey.
3. The Historical and International Epics
If you prefer historical settings and global backdrops, you should follow this path:
- Away from the Dead (2023): Set during the chaos of the Russian Revolution and World War I in Ukraine, this book follows characters like a Ukrainian bookseller navigating survival, love, and hope.
- Stranger (2016): A haunting story about a young Guatemalan woman who travels to the United States to find her confiscated child, exploring issues of borders, power, and maternal devotion.
Complete Publication Order of David Bergen's Novels
For readers who want to experience the evolution of David Bergen’s voice and style, here is the chronological list of his standalone novels in order of publication:
- A Year of Lesser (1997): Bergen's debut novel. Set in a small Manitoba town, it tracks a recovering alcoholic struggling with faith and domestic life. (Note: Some bibliographies list this as late 1996, but its wide release was in 1997).
- See the Child (1999): A quiet novel that focuses on a father dealing with the sudden death of his teenage son and the unexpected arrival of the boy's child.
- The Case of Lena S. (2002): A coming-of-age story following a Winnipeg teenager navigating first love, depression, and moral confusion. It was a finalist for the Governor General’s Award.
- The Time in Between (2005): The Giller Prize-winning masterpiece set between Canada and Vietnam.
- The Retreat (2008): Set in 1970, this novel follows two Ojibway brothers and a young white woman who run away to a rural retreat, touching on racial tension and youthful longing.
- The Matter with Morris (2010): The introduction of Morris Schutt as he processes intense grief and familial estrangement.
- The Age of Hope (2012): A portrait of Hope Koop, a woman born in mid-20th-century Manitoba, navigating the expectations of marriage, motherhood, and personal freedom.
- Leaving Tomorrow (2014): Follows Arthur Loeppky, a young man from a Mennonite community who leaves his prairie home for Paris in the late 1960s.
- Stranger (2016): An intense, contemporary look at displacement and motherhood set in Guatemala and the U.S.
- Out of Mind (2021): The companion novel to The Matter with Morris, centering on psychiatrist Lucille Black.
- Away from the Dead (2023): An epic historical novel set against the backdrop of the Russian Revolution.
Short Story Collections & Anthologies
Before achieving widespread fame as a novelist, Bergen began his career with short fiction. His collections offer a concentrated look at his themes of faith, doubt, and domestic life:
- Sitting Opposite My Brother (1993): Bergen's debut short story collection, highlighting the quiet conflicts in everyday family settings and his Manitoba Mennonite roots.
- Here the Dark (2020): A collection of short stories and a titular novella about a young woman escaping her closed Mennonite community. This volume was a finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize.
Anthologies and Contributions
- The Scotiabank Giller Prize 15 Years (2008): A collection celebrating Giller-winning fiction, featuring an excerpt or story from Bergen.
- The Audlib Project: Home 2020 (2021): An anthology project focusing on narratives of home during a turbulent year.
What to Know Before You Start
David Bergen’s style is defined by what remains unsaid. His prose is clean, unpretentious, and direct, heavily influenced by legendary short-story writers like Alice Munro. Rather than relying on high-stakes melodrama, his books build tension through the quiet moral dilemmas of ordinary people.
A significant portion of his writing is informed by his background. Raised in a Mennonite household in Manitoba, Bergen frequently returns to themes of faith, doubt, and the tension between strict community expectations and individual desire. Furthermore, his real-world volunteer work and travels in Thailand and Vietnam have heavily influenced the international settings of works like The Time in Between and Out of Mind.