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Wrote The Towers of Babylon, a novel about the Millennial generation that depicts an era of struggle -- professionally, personally and spiritually -- in which civilization may be inching toward decline.
Kaeser's fiction and essays have appeared in anthologies, journals, magazines and newspapers across the country. She was a finalist in the inaugural HarperCollinsCanada/UBC Prize for Best New Fiction (2013); the runner-up in the Edna Staebler Essay Contest (2017); a finalist in the Edna Staebler Essay Contest (2012 and 2014); an honourable mention in the Prairie Fire Fiction Contest (2013); and an honourable mention for the Glimmer Train Very Short Fiction Award (2013 and 2009).
BOOKS
The Towers of Babylon (Freehand Books, 2019) $22.95 978-1-988298-49-8
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Millennial noir
Millennials, the generation so named because the earliest of them became adults around the turn of the millennium, have been accused of reluctantly embracing maturity.
Also called the 'Peter Pan' generation, or the 'me-me-me' generation, this demographic is noted for delaying some of the rites of passage into adulthood far longer than preceding generations. But then, they have to contend with relatively higher costs of both housing and higher education than their forebears did. And besides, rushing into careers right out of high school, followed by marriage and kids hasn't worked so well for boomers and generation X'ers; Stats Can data show that about 38 per cent of all marriages end in divorce while there has been a steady increase in the divorce rate for three-year marriages.
Michelle Kaeser, herself a Millennial, delves into the lives of a group of thirty-somethings struggling to establish themselves in her debut novel The Towers of Babylon. The setting is Toronto, where Kaeser grew up although she now lives in Vancouver.
Divided into four sections, the novel begins with the ironically-named Joly, a university graduate living with her brother Yannick. Having earned advanced degrees in creative writing, Joly must return to the same coffee house job she had in high school. Then Joly discovers she's pregnant.
Her best friend Lou supports Joly through the pregnancy test. Lou has a seemingly successful marketing job selling space on billboards, is married, and owns her own house. But there are cracks in her life as the marriage is not a happy one and Lou’s career may be at a breaking point.
Joly's boyfriend Ben is an idealistic anarchist, argues with priests and works at a bagel place where he tries to start a union. The house Ben shares with a group of roommates is about to be condemned. Needless to say, he's not set up to take on the responsibilities of fatherhood.
Difficult choices for difficult times. While Kaeser's characters may not come up with handy dandy solutions, she has written a revealing expose on her generation.
[BCBW 2020]
Kaeser's fiction and essays have appeared in anthologies, journals, magazines and newspapers across the country. She was a finalist in the inaugural HarperCollinsCanada/UBC Prize for Best New Fiction (2013); the runner-up in the Edna Staebler Essay Contest (2017); a finalist in the Edna Staebler Essay Contest (2012 and 2014); an honourable mention in the Prairie Fire Fiction Contest (2013); and an honourable mention for the Glimmer Train Very Short Fiction Award (2013 and 2009).
BOOKS
The Towers of Babylon (Freehand Books, 2019) $22.95 978-1-988298-49-8
*
ESSAY
Spring 2020
Millennial noir
Millennials, the generation so named because the earliest of them became adults around the turn of the millennium, have been accused of reluctantly embracing maturity.
Also called the 'Peter Pan' generation, or the 'me-me-me' generation, this demographic is noted for delaying some of the rites of passage into adulthood far longer than preceding generations. But then, they have to contend with relatively higher costs of both housing and higher education than their forebears did. And besides, rushing into careers right out of high school, followed by marriage and kids hasn't worked so well for boomers and generation X'ers; Stats Can data show that about 38 per cent of all marriages end in divorce while there has been a steady increase in the divorce rate for three-year marriages.
Michelle Kaeser, herself a Millennial, delves into the lives of a group of thirty-somethings struggling to establish themselves in her debut novel The Towers of Babylon. The setting is Toronto, where Kaeser grew up although she now lives in Vancouver.
Divided into four sections, the novel begins with the ironically-named Joly, a university graduate living with her brother Yannick. Having earned advanced degrees in creative writing, Joly must return to the same coffee house job she had in high school. Then Joly discovers she's pregnant.
Her best friend Lou supports Joly through the pregnancy test. Lou has a seemingly successful marketing job selling space on billboards, is married, and owns her own house. But there are cracks in her life as the marriage is not a happy one and Lou’s career may be at a breaking point.
Joly's boyfriend Ben is an idealistic anarchist, argues with priests and works at a bagel place where he tries to start a union. The house Ben shares with a group of roommates is about to be condemned. Needless to say, he's not set up to take on the responsibilities of fatherhood.
Difficult choices for difficult times. While Kaeser's characters may not come up with handy dandy solutions, she has written a revealing expose on her generation.
[BCBW 2020]
