Australian cartoonist Lee Lai won the 2026 Stella Prize for their remarkable graphic novel Cannon (2025). It was also longlisted for the 2026 Carol Shields Prize for Fiction.
Set in Montreal,
Cannon tells the story of Lucy, a queer Chinese-Canadian woman who is trying to keep calm while carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. She works as a chef in a busy restaurant, juggling the demands of customers and her loathsome boss. Her elderly grandfather is ill and she feels responsible for caring for him, despite his unpleasantness. Her best friend Trish, is self-involved and never there when Lucy needs her. While outwardly projecting a calmness and self-restraint, Lucy feels as though she is ready to explode. She jogs and listens to self-help podcasts trying to keep her emotions in check. But as the pressure mounts, and she feels let down by everyone around her, Lucy is on the verge of a breakdown.
Cannon is a wonderful graphic novel - a poignant story of friendship and love, drawn in a compelling minimalism. Lai's monochromatic panels change to cinematic red as Lucy's emotions flare. Hitchcockian magpies gather, seen only by Lucy, like a portent of what is to come.
At the heart of the novel is Lucy's friendship with Trish. The two women have a realistic bond and their relationship is so well depicted by Lai - with overlapping speech bubbles showing how Trish dominates conversations. They hang out watching horror films, eating, and listening to Trish talk about herself. Lucy is used to being in the background, adopting the role of the stoic colleague, the dutiful daughter, the responsible friend. Unable to express her own needs and desires, Lucy takes care of everyone except herself. Trish is the opposite - giving in to whatever she feels, caring only for her self. But despite their differences, the two women need each other.
I really enjoyed Cannon and am now keen to track down Lai's earlier work Strange Fruit. I recommend this incredible book for fans of graphic novels, tales of friendship, and those interested in seeing a truely compelling visual artist at work.
