Relative Truths (Stories of Adoption, Family, and Belonging)

From one of Canada’s most celebrated journalists comes an intimate collection of interviews that illuminate the joys, pains, traumas, and triumphs of adoption—featuring conversations with John Irving, Jenny Heijun Wills, Marilyn Churley, and more.

Adoption tales dominate our shared stories and culture—from Anne of Green Gables to Moses in his basket—but until recently, the complexities of many adoptees' experiences were rarely given voice. As laws and attitudes change around adoptees’ rights, from contact with birth families to connection with birth cultures, we have a chance to tell truer and more inclusive stories.

Deborah Dundas is one of Canada's most respected journalists, covering arts, culture, and news in the pages of The Toronto Star for nearly two decades. When she discovered a long-buried adoption story in her own family, Dundas set out to find Canadians with diverse experiences of adoption and give them a platform to share their perspectives, from the heartwarming to the heartbreaking.

For some families, adoption is the root of their love and togetherness. For others, it comes with lifelong questions, and sometimes, significant pain. In these interviews, which include discussions with writer John Irving, author and academic Jenny Heijin Wills, and former Cabinet Minister Marilyn Churley, Dundas shines a light on our evolving understanding of how families come in many forms and how adoption is not the end of a story but rather, a beginning that encompasses as many possible outcomes as any family tale.