The God of My Art

Longlisted for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award

Where does art come from-and what if the muse isn't a goddess, but a disinterested lover?

The God of My Art is a coming-of-age story that explores unrequited longing as a driving force behind a young woman's artistic awakening.

Helene grows up in a trailer park in northern British Columbia. After being sent to a group home by her stepfather, she runs away to Vancouver. Now a university student, she meets Matthew-a restless, upper-middle-class mountaineer who idolizes Nietzsche and dreams of saving the world through international aid work.

Told in bold, poetic prose, The God of My Art is a literary novel that examines the complicated relationship between romantic obsession and creative expression.

About the Author
Sarah Lane holds an M.A. in Comparative Literature from the University of British Columbia. Her writing has appeared in numerous literary and academic journals, including The Antigonish Review, Roar Magazine, think equity, Wreck Magazine, Educational Insights, Capilano Courier, and Quills: Canadian Poetry Magazine.

"Sarah Lane's debut novel is an ambitious exploration of how an artist is born and - perhaps more importantly - how she chooses to follow that path as an adult. Lane's prose style is superb; there is a great deal of keen observation, strong dialogue, and interesting ruminations from a heroine coming of age after a difficult childhood." -Sandra Hutchison, author of The Awful Mess: A Love Story

"This is one of the best books I've read in a very long time. The plot and character development was brilliant and the writing was exquisite, hard when it needed to be and gentle when required, too. The author never took a wrong turn anywhere. I didn't know where the story was going and I didn't care. I was just so caught up in it." -Martin Crosbie, author of My Temporary Life

"Really takes off during a high and naked moment in a self-made steam hut in the woods." -Publisher's Weekly

"Many authors succeed in capitalizing on vibrant cities to set their novels, but Sarah Lane's beautiful and simple prose takes this a magical step further. The God of My Art is far more than a collage of Vancouver beaches, streets and towering mountains. The novel's strength lies in the dichotomy of the "chosen" and "outliers"--the pampered heirs to Shaughnessy fortunes and the soon-to-disappear women of Hastings Street back alleys. Like art, Lane's prose reveals its deepest secrets not in the rays of light, but in the shadows." -New Perspectives on Canadian Literature

"Be warned: Lane's prose has a tendency to gently lure you into reading the book in one sitting." -The Ubyssey