Book Details:
Book Title: The Antique Picker's Daughter by Melanie Dugan
Category: Adult Fiction (18+), 250 pages
Genre: general fiction, literary fiction
Publisher: Inanna Publications & Education Inc.
Release date: September 2026
Content Rating: PG-13 + M: because of mature themes (youth homelessness and human trafficking), and physical abuse, some rough language.
Book Description:
“The first thing you need to know: They’re not antiques.
The second thing you need to know: I’m not his daughter.”
Abandoned first by her father, and then by her mother, Frankie has been left in the care of her deeply religious grandmother. When her grandmother’s religious convictions tip into delusion, Frankie decides to run away.
Life on the street in Toronto is hard, and with winter coming, it gets tougher. This is when Frankie first meets Francis, a man old enough to be her father. He starts training her in “the game,” as she comes to call it; buying, stealing, and reselling “inventory” at inflated prices. Through winter, spring, and early summer, the two become a team, traveling around small towns and villages in southern Ontario.
As Frankie discovers, life on the road holds dangers she can’t anticipate, and her precarious world tips into disaster when Francis abandons her in an unfamiliar town. Betrayed, alone, and deserted, Frankie realizes she’s in a dangerous situation — will she be able to find her way out on her own?
The Antique Picker’s Daughter explores youth homelessness, human trafficking, and one young woman’s search for safety.
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Meet the Author:
She lived in Boston, Toronto and London, England, before settling in Kingston, Ontario, where she now lives.
She has worked in libraries and bookstores, and was Associate Publisher at Quarry Press in Kingston, and also served as Managing Editor for Poetry Canada, Quarry Magazine and Canadian Fiction Magazine.
In 2009 she was promotions director for the inaugural Kingston WritersFest.
She has studied writing with Leon Rooke, Keath Fraser, Kim Moritsugu, Helen Humphreys and Anita Rau Badami.
Her short stories have been shortlisted for several awards including the CBC Literary Award.
My Review:
The Antique Picker's Daughter: A Novel is my first experience to reading by the new to me author, Melanie Dugan. I have to admit that it took a few chapters in to get used to the author's writing style and to understand as to what was happening. It did get a little confusing with the names at times, too. Once I caught on, I was hooked. It was a tale of a young teenaged girl, Frankie, who becomes homeless and having to travel throughout small towns in the southern part of Ontario. When her traveling companion, Francis, disappears, she has to find ways to survive on her own. I admired her bravery and courage as she navigates this new heart breaking life she was thrown into. I often wonder if she will figure out where she belongs. The story is full of adventure, thought provoking scenes, action, and danger. I wanted to read all the way to the end to find out what would become of her in the end.
I am going to give The Antique Picker's Daughter: A Novel four stars. I believe fans of general and literary fiction about urban life. I would be interested in reading more from the talented author, Melanie Dugan, in the near future.
I received a paperback advanced reader copy of Melanie Dugan's The Antique Picker's Daughter: A Novel from the publisher, but was not required to write a positive review. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion.
Thank you for your generous, thoughtful review.
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