This was the best book I read last year, or for that matter, for several years. There are so many good books out there - and so many good Canadian books - that it's hard to pick a favorite, but this one stands out. It follows the progress of a young Irish boy who loses his home and family during the potato famine, survives by his wits in the bleak Irish countryside, and eventually makes his way to Liverpool and passage to the new world and the promise of prosperity. Along the way, he encounters an assortment of fascinating characters, both friendly and otherwise, and endures extraordinary hardships.

What makes this book so refreshing is the strength of the plot line - it's just a rousing good story. Though the characters are well drawn and the settings beautifully and atmosperically described, there's no soul-searching or mysticism: it's the story itself that draws you in and tumbles you along, leaving you breathless but satisfied at the end.