The Beneficiary by JoAnn McCaig begins with an interesting premise. We meet Seren in a local shop where she declines the purchase of a lottery ticket. “Don’t you want to be a millionaire?” prompts the clerk. “I already am” is the response.
As we follow Seren through the retelling of her life’s story, we learn that she grew up in a wealthy family and rebelled as a young adult, eschewing privilege to pursue the nomadic life of a party-girl and regular drug user. Once she becomes a parent, however, she takes seriously her role as provider and struggles to establish a safe and happy home for her children.
When her father dies, Seren suddenly inherits more money than she can imagine and she must decide how to live life on her own terms while also being responsible with the money she has at her disposal. Rather than change her lifestyle, she struggles to find a way to make a difference, all while fighting preconceptions about the wealthy and encountering barriers established by class and gender.
When Seren’s inheritance forces her to re-enter the society circles she has long avoided, she discovers a maddening sameness to the environment.
What has not changed is that she finds the company of the well-heeled puzzlingly flat. Despite the lavishness, despite the privilege and luxury… why are people not laughing and talking animatedly, why the reserve – and most infuriating, why that rush to the exits the moment a program ends? What are they in such a hurry for? She sees this again and again, particularly with arts events – are they an obligation rather than a pleasure?
Once more disillusioned with her class, she discusses the situation with her friend Martin who encourages her to use her position and wealth for the betterment of society:
Just think of it this way “money is a kind of energy. You can use it to make good stuff happen. Projects that help people and enrich communities.
Seren goes on to involve herself in charitable work and supports a great number of charitable projects. All of these she negotiates while continuing to challenge herself to live a “real” life, as she seeks to do something meaningful despite set-backs and tragedies that affect her own existence.
Seren’s story of a ‘poor little rich girl’ aches with its contemplative look at power, privilege, good intentions and careful choice making.
Seren’s story of a ‘poor little rich girl’ aches with its contemplative look at power, privilege, good intentions and careful choice making. The intersection of wealth, class and status is treated with respect but also delicacy and discernment, while Seren’s independent spirit and her desire to live an unencumbered but meaningful life is flavoured by the impacts of first and second wave feminism. An interesting and thought-provoking read.
JoAnn McCaig is the author of the new novel Beneficiary. Her other books include An Honest Woman. She taught for 20 years at the University of Calgary, and she owns the independent bookstore Shelf Life Books in Calgary, Alberta.
Publisher: University of Calgary Press (May 15, 2026)
Paperback 6″ x 9″ | 240 pages
ISBN: 9781773856780
Lucy E.M. Black (she/her/hers) is the author of The Marzipan Fruit Basket, Eleanor Courtown, Stella’s Carpet, The Brickworks and Class Lessons: Stories of Vulnerable Youth. A Quilting of Scars will be released October 2025. Her award-winning short stories have been published in Britain, Ireland, USA and Canada. She is a dynamic workshop presenter, experienced interviewer and freelance writer. She lives with her partner in the small lakeside town of Port Perry, Ontario, the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island, First Nations.
- Lucy E. M. Blackhttps://miramichireader.ca/author/lucy-e-m-black/
- Lucy E. M. Blackhttps://miramichireader.ca/author/lucy-e-m-black/
- Lucy E. M. Blackhttps://miramichireader.ca/author/lucy-e-m-black/
- Lucy E. M. Blackhttps://miramichireader.ca/author/lucy-e-m-black/
- Lucy E. M. Blackhttps://miramichireader.ca/author/lucy-e-m-black/
- Lucy E. M. Blackhttps://miramichireader.ca/author/lucy-e-m-black/
