Bill Gaston (born January 14, 1953, in Tacoma, Washington)[1] is a Canadian novelist, playwright and short story writer.
Aside from teaching at various universities, he has worked as a logger, salmon fishing guide, group home worker and, most exotically, playing hockey in the south of France.
[3] Gaston has published seven novels–Tall Lives (Macmillan, 1990, and Seal Books), The Cameraman (Macmillan 1994, and Raincoast, 2002), Bella Combe Journal (Cormorant, 1996), The Good Body (Stoddart, 2000 and U.S., HarperCollins, 2001, Raincoast, 2002, Anansi, 2009, nominated for the Relit Award), Sointula (Raincoast, 2004, nominated for the Ethel Wilson Award, and Relit Award, and Penguin, 2012), The Order of Good Cheer (Anansi, 2008), and The World (Penguin Canada/Hamish Hamilton, 2012, winner of the Ethel Wilson Prize for fiction).
In 1999, the Globe & Mail wrote: "Given Gaston's body of work, he merits elevation into the leading ranks of Canadian authors.
U.S. writer Thomas McGuane wrote: "The Good Body is a winning, moving book filled with an achy humanity and rueful, well-earned humor.