What It Takes to Be Human, the haunting new novel by Orange Prize–shortlisted author Marilyn Bowering, considers the life of Sandy Grey, an idealistic young air cadet who wants nothing more than to enlist in the Second World War. Sandy’s father, a fundamentalist preacher, refuses to grant his son’s request, fearing that the world is living its very last days. When Sandy’s attempts to oppose his father turn violent, the novel takes a dramatic shift in setting into the fragmented world of an asylum for the criminally insane. Bowering pushes her characters to the very fringe of civilization, love and sanity during the darkening days of a distant conflict to expose the acute parallels between their lives and the lives of those being torn apart by war.

"One of Canada’s most eloquent storytellers has given us a compelling and exquisitely crafted tale about hope, love and creativity."—Susan Swan

"Marilyn Bowering has written an astonishing novel, full of hope and courage—a brilliant antidote to cynicism and despair."—Isabel Huggan

"Marilyn Bowering is one of our whistle-blowers. Her new book tells us What It Means to Be Human—something we seem on the brink of forgetting. Classic in form, this white-knuckle book leads us through a contemporary underworld before bringing us up, once again, to the light. Required reading!"—P.K. Page

"Marilyn Bowering explores the relationship between innocence, injustice, and motiveless malevolence in a story that is so layered and compelling that you will be dazzled by her wisdom and huge talent. The characters will break your heart, renew your faith, and remind you what it takes to be human."
—Rosemary Sullivan, author of Villa Air-Bel: World War II, Escape, and a House in Marseille

"One of Canada's most eloquent story tellers has given us a compelling and exquisitely crafted tale about hope, love and creativity, in, of all places, a Canadian mental asylum."
—Susan Swan

"Who among us does not feel nowadays that we are in a madhouse, locked into an insane world in which ignorance, anger and cruelty are winning the war? Now, thank heaven, a new hero has come to our rescue, unlikely though he may be. Young Sandy Grey reminds us that imagination and language are the tools we need to break free, and Marilyn Bowering proves it by writing an astonishing, fable-like novel, through which optimism carries us forward to Sandy’s final words, You can always count on love."
—Isabel Huggan

"...the cures more devastating than madness."
"...dramatic and at times lyrical, the story rich and strange."
"While the pacing is taut and suspenseful, Bowering’s judicious use of the fantastic reminds us that this is no ordinary thriller."
"...the euphoria and optimism of the ending feel like a dream."
—Quill and Quire