Andrew Boden’s When We Were Ashes has been shortlisted for the 2025 Amazon Canada First Novel Award. Boden is a Burnaby, BC–based novelist and disability advocate who has previously published essays and a non-fiction book. When We Were Ashes, released in September 2024, centres on a group of disabled children in Nazi Germany who are plotting an escape from the hospital where they have been sent to be euthanized.
“I'm very honoured to have When We Were Ashes recognized for the Amazon Canada First Novel and I'm especially grateful to have wider attention drawn to such a terrible chapter in twentieth-century history. If my novel has made a small contribution to helping us respect each other, no matter our abilities or vulnerabilities, that is reward enough for me,” Boden said.
When We Were Ashes earned rave reviews including from The BC Review, which called it a “triumph . . . that marries the unthinkable cruelty of a world gone mad with a firmly rooted sense of human dignity.” The Miramichi Reader called Boden’s debut “an amazing read that stands out in its genre.”
Boden is one of six authors on the prize’s shortlist, which was announced May 6. The winner will be announced in Toronto on Thursday, June 5, and will be awarded $60,000. The prize is co-presented by The Walrus.
“The shortlist is a beautiful testament to the true power of story,” wrote category judge Chelene Knight in the shortlist announcement. “Each book — so different in style and voice — managed to edge its way into my heart, and for that, I’m deeply grateful. These stories taught me something new, challenged my perspective, and kept me turning the pages late into the night. Choosing just one winner was incredibly difficult. Every single book on this list represents the bold, brilliant future of literature.”
