A story collection about parenthood

ANDRÉ ALEXIS immigrated from Trinidad to the small town of Petrolia, Ontario, as a child, eventually settling in Toronto at age 30.

- Anthony Milton

His 2015 novel, Fifteen Dogs, which follows canines that have been endowed with human consciousness, has since been adapted into a hit play by Crow's Theatre. Other Worlds, his latest book—and his first since his five-volume Quincunx series—is a collection of nine stories exploring parenthood, childhood, loss, grief and gratitude. We spoke to Alexis about moving to Canada at a young age, airing family secrets and why he loves Toronto.

Where did these stories come from?

They were all written under the sword of Damocles, which was the death of my father in 2019 and the progressive loss of my mother from dementia. They're all elegies for the parental—what it means, how strange it is and how strong that love is.

There’s a recurring character, a Trinidadian-Canadian doctor who has affairs with his patients. Is that autobiographical?