Almost English
Stephen Turner was a quarter Indian, but to the late 19th century Raj he was wholly native: underpaid, underemployed and mocked. Nevertheless, Stephen and his wife Lily Turner never wavered in their struggle to belong to the British establishment in Northern India from 1885 to 1912. This is the story of their quest, their frequent disappointments and their enduring love. It’s also the author’s story. Barbara Sibbald, the Turner’s great-granddaughter, breaks the fourth wall as the novel unfolds to recount her parallel search for community as she researches her family history. This genre-bending work, which includes family photographs, letters, paintings and sketches, brings a fresh perspective to this era.
Almost English is published by Bayeux Arts of Calgary and by Vishwakarma Publications in Puna, India.
Praise for Almost English
“Sibbald’s book is a thoroughly engaging read, but not in the way of conventional novels with tight plots and clear story arcs. Instead, Almost English has the texture of real life, with its ups and downs and sideways meanderings.” — Canadian Writers Abroad, Gabriella Goliger
Sibbald “has highlighted the reality that educated Anglo-Indians fared no better than the natives under the Raj. We learn much about the benefits and harms of colonialism, and about Indians’ aspirations for self-rule, from the characters’ drawing-room discussions. Highly recommended.” — Historical Novel Society, Waheed Rabbani
“…a captivating and fascinating read…. The nuanced depths the author gives to her characters brings them fully to life through their personalities, their strengths, and their weaknesses. It is a tale of two everyday people and the love that carried them through an era of great upheaval and political and social struggle.” — Kitchissippi Times, Blaine Marchand
See also The Buzz (Serving Centretown Ottawa), Nov 21, 2025, p 8. Almost English: how love defied boundaries in the British Raj
Get the book
- Buy the ebook on Amazon or for Kobo.
- Order your signed copy of the print book from the author.
- Shop local: In Ottawa, you can buy it at Perfect Books, Singing Pebble, Books on Beechwood and Octopus Books.
Read Heat in Karachi, a poem based on Almost English.
Interviews and podcasts about Almost English
- Get Lit podcast with Jamie Tennant: “E482 with Barbara Sibbald”, Feb. 11, 2026
- Rob Mclennan’s blog: “20 questions with Barbara Sibbald”, Jan. 20, 2026
- The Resilient Writers Radio Show podcast with Rhonda Douglas: “What does the book want to be? With Barbara Sibbald”, Dec 4, 2025
- Chaudiere Books: “Six Question interview #170: Barbara Sibbald”, April 2, 2023
- Resilient Writers blog, interview on the writing life: “Barbara Sibbald: It’s All Consuming”, 2020
The Museum of Possibilities
A collection of quirky short stories focusing on pivotal moments of intense longing—for love, for power, for fame, for freedom, for revenge, and perhaps most of all, for connection in an increasingly disaffected world.
The Museum of Possibilities won gold in the Foreword Indies 2017 Book Awards and silver in the e-Lit Book Awards.
“This collection is a brilliant example of the versatility and vast potential of the short story form.” —Peter Dabbene, Foreword Reviews
“Sibbald’s prose is succinct and sharp, which you would expect from a career journalist. What she also exhibits, in every story, is a storyteller’s grasp of momentum, a keen understanding of character and voice, and a knack for authentic dialogue. Each of her protagonists’ voices is distinct over the course of sixteen narratives. Add to this the diversity of content, structure and tone, and The Museum of Possibilities is a gallery worth visiting and revisiting.” —Jamie Tennant, Hamilton Arts & Letters
The Book of Love: Guidance in Affairs of the Heart
(General Store Publishing House, 2011)
Three women, seven men and one very wise self-help book merge in this unusual mélange of fiction and self-help.
Read first chapter
Order from Amazon
Regarding Wanda
(Bunkhouse Press, 2006)
Small-town journalist Wanda Stewart discovers she has a degenerative eye condition, forcing her to face her faltering marriage and domineering father.
Short listed for the 2007 Ottawa Book Award, Fiction. In an earlier incarnation, two of the chapters were nominated for the Journey Prize.
Read first chapter
Order from Amazon
The Kitchen Chronicles
(Ottawa Magazine, 2013)
Food in fiction in 52 bite-sized dollops. Follow this fictitious family’s foibles as they wrangle in their kitchen, plus try the home-tested recipes. Food and pathos: you’ll be addicted in no time.
Read first episode: The Kitchen
Photo by Barbara Sibbald, taken at the Experimental Farm, Ottawa