10 books to explore Canada without leaving your couch

Close your eyes, open a book: and you’re already in Canada.

Even before you hit the road, Canadian literature takes you on an ink-and-paper road trip, through boreal forests, lakeside cabins, and the vast expanses of the North (without facing mosquitoes or the polar cold!). These authors take us further than any plane ticket: through their words, you feel the country’s vastness, its multiple cultures, and the raw beauty of its landscapes.

For everyone wondering: “Which books should I read before a trip to Canada?”, here are 10 books about Canada to get a taste of a road trip right from your living room.

1. Kukum – Michel Jean

Where it takes us: Côte-Nord and Péribonka, Quebec
Genre: Indigenous biographical novel
Author: Michel Jean (Innu from Mashteuiatsh)
Year: 2019

Inspired by the life of the author’s grandmother, Kukum tells the story of Almanda Siméon, a young white woman who falls in love with an Innu and chooses to live among his people. Through her eyes, we discover the beauty of a nomadic way of life, centered on nature, tradition, and respect for the land.

Michel Jean, an Innu journalist and writer, delivers a novel that is both intimate and political. He takes us to Northern Quebec, at a time when Indigenous peoples still lived by the seasons, before the arrival of roads and colonization.

2. Ru – Kim Thúy

Where it takes us: Quebec
Genre: Poetic autobiographical story
Author: Kim Thúy
Year: 2009

Through delicate and poetic prose, Kim Thúy tells her story: that of a Vietnamese child refugee arriving in Quebec in the 1980s.
Her memories are interwoven with those of thousands of others who, like her, found Canada a land of welcome and rebuilding.

Each fragment of Ru is a spark of memory: the warmth of Saigon, the cold Quebec winters, the first words of a language learned with the heart.

3. Greenwood – Michael Christie

Where it takes us: Vancouver Island, British Columbia
Genre: eco-fiction, family saga Author: Michael Christie Year: 2019

Greenwood is a powerful, multi-generational story rooted in Canada’s vast forests. It follows four generations of the Greenwood family — from the 1930s to a near-future ecological collapse — revealing how their lives are intertwined with the trees that both shelter and haunt them. Each chapter feels like a ring in a tree trunk, marking time, loss, and resilience.

4. Bad Cree – Jessica Johns

Where it takes us: Alberta
Genre: Indigenous fiction and supernatural suspense
Author: Jessica Johns (Cree)
Year: 2023

Makwa, a young Cree woman living in British Columbia, has terrifying nightmares following her sister’s death. When her dreams start invading reality, she decides to return to her home community in northern Alberta.
There, traditions, memories, and spirits intermingle in a powerful quest for healing.

Jessica Johns delivers a bold debut novel, where the tension of a thriller meets the gentleness of Indigenous storytelling. She gives a strong voice to Indigenous women, often keepers of memory and spiritual knowledge.

5. Charlie Muskrat – Harold Johnson

Where it takes us: Saskatchewan, Ontario
Genre: Coming-of-age novel and road trip
Author: Harold Johnson (Northern Cree)
Year: 2018

A former Canadian Forces soldier, Charlie hits the road across the Prairies to “find himself.” His old pickup becomes his travel buddy, each stop a mirror to his life. Blending humor, wisdom, and unexpected encounters, Charlie Muskrat explores what it means to be Indigenous in modern Canada.

6. A World of Curiosities – Louise Penny

Where it takes us: Estrie, Quebec
Genre: Psychological mystery novel
Author: Louise Penny
Year: 2022

In Three Pines, a fictional village inspired by the small towns of the Eastern Townships, snow falls softly on colorful houses. But beneath this apparent tranquility, the past resurfaces.
Inspector Armand Gamache, Louise Penny’s recurring hero, dives into a case where family secrets and old wounds resurface.

7. Paul Up North – Michel Rabagliati

Where it takes us: Quebec
Genre: Graphic novel, everyday chronicle
Author: Michel Rabagliati
Year: 2009

Paul, the author's alter ego, experiences major life stages with tenderness, humor, and nostalgia. In Paul à Québec, he observes his father-in-law’s illness while also celebrating family life, lively meals, and childhood memories.

8. This Summer Will Be Different – Carley Fortune

Where it takes us: Prince Edward Island
Genre: Contemporary romance
Author: Carley Fortune
Year: 2023

Every summer, Ren returns to the same seaside village on Prince Edward Island.
Amidst fishermen’s cabins, raspberry ice cream, and seaside bonfires, she reconnects with her first love and the memories of a past she thought was behind her.

9. White Fang – Jack London

Where it takes us: Yukon, Canadian Far North
Genre: Adventure novel
Author: Jack London
Year: 1906

Half-wolf, half-dog, White Fang grows up in the cold of the Yukon during the Gold Rush. Through his eyes, Jack London explores the struggle for survival, solitude, and the wild beauty of northern Canada.

10. Nutshimit: In The Woods – Melissa Mollen Dupuis

Where it takes us: Nitassinan, Canadian boreal forest
Genre: Illustrated children’s book
Authors: Melissa Mollen Dupuis and Elise Gravel
Year: 2024

In this children’s book, Melissa Mollen Dupuis takes kids (and parents) into her boreal forest to discover Indigenous traditions. You learn to observe nature, recognize animals, and respect the trees.

These books about Canada have a magical power: taking you on a journey with no GPS, no suitcase, and no shivering at -20°C. After finishing Kukum or White Fang, you’ll almost want to trade your couch for a canoe and head north.

So, before you hit the road for your Authentik road trip, let these Canadian voices be your guides. Their stories will give your encounters and your landscapes a new resonance, that of a country you’ll have already started to explore, page after page… without jet lag.