Nicholas Herring’s novel, Your Breath in Charcoal, has been longlisted for the 2026 Giller Prize.

NICHOLAS HERRING’S head-spinning debut novel, Some Hellish, won the prestigious Atwood Gibson Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize. Critics described it as “heart-wrenchingly beautiful,” “irreverent, screwball, and inspired,” and “a winding, raucous ride.” His writing has also appeared in The Puritan and The Fiddlehead Herring graduated from St. Jerome’s University with an honours degree in English Literature and attended the University of Toronto, where he completed an MA in Creative Writing. He lives in Murray Harbour, Prince Edward Island, where he works as a fisherman and a carpenter. Your Breath in Charcoal is Nicholas Herring’s second novel.

Which authors or books inspired your book?

When I sat down to write Your Breath in Charcoal, I fancied that I’d attempt to write a book about blue-collar Maritimers in the style of Javier Marías and László Krasznahorkai.

When did you first come up with the idea for your book?

The whole direction and thrust of the book took off for me about a month into the writing process. Initially, I thought I was writing another story. After two weeks, or so, I thought, oh no, this isn’t that at all. No, it must be this other thing. I wrote in this direction for another two weeks, or so, and then I thought, oh, I know what this is all about.

When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

In March of 2008, as I read The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño. That book still feels as if he wrote it solely for me.

Who’s your favourite character in your longlisted book and why?

I’m partial to all of the Whiteway brothers, but if there was a gun to my head and I had to pick, I’d say Earn Whiteway is the real hero of the book.

How many drafts did you go through when writing your book?

I wrote one draft and then did a few passes. I cut portions near the end and changed a few secondary characters to shorten the whole thing. The final section came out as it appears in the book. I don’t believe I ever changed a word of it.

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