David Baillie was born, raised, and educated in Hamilton, Ontario. He emigrated from Canada to the United States in 1996, and has since been teaching modern and postmodern art and literature at a New England college preparatory school. What We Salvage is Baillie's debut novel, a work that draws upon his own experiences in the post-boot culture music scene of the late '80s-early '90s. His second novel, Little Bones, will be out in late 2019. He currently lives in central Massachusetts with his two sons, his artist/educator wife, Darcy, and her two daughters.
WHAT WE SALVAGE by David Baillie
Find David Baillie on:
www.davidbaillie.net
Hamilton Literary Award (nominated, What We Salvage, 2015)
". . . a violent, dark, impressionistic, philosophical, poetic coming-of-age novel."
—Treasa Levasseur for the CBC
"David Baillie's debut novel reads like a cosmopolitan capitulation of that famous journey into the heart of darkness undertaken by Joseph Conrad's Marlow . . . even as the author limns a stark poetic vision that is uniquely his own"
—James Morrow
"What We Salvage is a smart, simmering, coming of age punk tale with style, attitude, imagination, and even some wonder if you're not careful. Oi, oi, oi!"
"[T]his is a strong debut, littered with glimpses of brilliance."
"Baillie has written one of the most beautiful and moving stories about raw brutality—and the things brutality can never conquer—that you'll likely find."
"If you are looking for a story that is more in line with bubble gum pop rock, then keep on browsing the shelf for something safer. What We Salvage is a harsh story that holds nothing back much as life holds nothing back for the characters within its cover."