On Isabella Street

I always look forward to a book by Canadian author Genevieve Graham. Her stories have heart, and she puts a lot of time into her research which means I know I'll get an entertaining story and come away knowing more about Canadian history.

In her upcoming book On Isabella Street, Graham tackles the turbulent 60's - a time of counterculture, the Vietnam War, and deinstitutionalization of mental patients and its direct impact on the increase in homelessness on Toronto streets.

The story is set around two women - Marian Hart, a psychiatrist who lives a quiet life. She is a rule follower and is adamant that the hospital where she works is making a big mistake by releasing its patients struggling with their mental health (and PTSD) onto the streets. 

Sassy Rankin is a privileged 20-something hippy folk singer who is part of the counterculture and desperately misses her brother who is fighting in Vietnam. The only things these two women have in common is where they live - 105 Isabella Street in the Church-Wellesley area of Toronto and their devotion to the causes they each hold dear.

Graham covers a lot of historical ground, and the story is filled with many interesting historical tidbits - many of which readers may not know. Readers are also given a vividly described landscape - from what Toronto was like in the 60's, to the impact of PTSD on returning veterans and how poorly they were treated upon their return, women's rights and their roles in war, and the civil unrest of the era.

The story flows easily and the pages turning quickly in this 430-page book. The connections between characters and the way the plot rolls out are delightfully serendipitous and readers will be glued to the pages of this powerful and evocative story that covers a lot of personal and historical elements. 

You can be certain that Graham will immerse you in the era, entertain you and teach you in equal measure. And despite the serious themes, ultimately this is an uplifting story about family, friendship, hope, tenacity, healing and discovering your path in a very uncertain world. 

Preorder this book for its April 22, 2025 release date!

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Simon and Schuster Canada for the complimentary advanced digital and print copies which were given in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 5 stars

Author: Genevieve Graham

Genre: Historical Fiction, Canada

Type and Source: ebook and trade paperback from publisher

Publisher: Simon and Schuster Canada

First Published: April 22, 2025

Read: March 14 - 19, 2025

Book Description from GoodReads: From #1 bestselling author Genevieve Graham comes a gripping novel set in Toronto and Vietnam during the turbulent sixties about two women caught up in powerful social movements and the tragedy that will bring them together—perfect for fans of Kristin Hannah’s The Women .

Toronto, 1967. Two young women with different backgrounds, attitudes, and aptitudes are living in an exciting but confusing time, the most extreme counter-culture movement the modern world has ever seen. They have little in common except for the place they both call an apartment building on Isabella Street.

Marion Hart, a psychiatrist working in Toronto’s foremost mental institution, is fighting deinstitutionalization—the closing of major institutions in favour of community-based centres—because she believes it could one day cause major homelessness. When Alex Neumann, a vet with a debilitating wound, is admitted to the mental institution, Marion will learn through him that there is so much more to life than what she is living.

Sassy Rankin, a budding folk singer and carefree hippy from a privileged family, joins protests over the Vietnam War and is devastated that her brother chose to join the US Marines. At the same time, she must deal with the truth that her comfortable life is financed by her father, a real estate magnate bent on gentrifying the city, making it unaffordable for many of her friends.

The strength of their unlikely friendship means that when one grapples with a catastrophic event, the other must do all she can to make it right.

Inspired by the unfettered optimism and crushing disillusionment of the sixties, On Isabella Street is an extraordinary novel about the enduring bonds of friendship and family and the devastating cost of war.