September 15, 2009. Congratulations to Maggie Helwig for her nomination for the 2009 Toronto Book Award for her novel, Girls Fall Down (Coach House Books, Spring 2008).

Girls Fall Down is set against the panic of a city seemingly under attack from a mysterious pandemic. A girl faints on the subway, others are taken to the hospital with an unexplained rash after complaining about a funny smell underground. Panic begins to spread as the police descend, with the hazmat team right behind them.

Nominees will read at Word on the Street on September 27th, before winners are announced at a gala event at the Toronto Reference Library on October 15th. The Toronto Book award is given to an author of a book with literary or artistic merit that is evocative of Toronto. The prize was established by the Toronto City Council in 1974 and is presented together with the Toronto Public Library. The 2008 winner was Glen Downie for Loyalty Management, published by Wolsak & Wynn.