On Oct. 7, 2025, Kate Cayley celebrated the launch of her first novel, Property, at the Society Clubhouse in downtown Toronto with Coach House Books. Cayley is an award-winning writer, playwright, and theatre director based in Toronto. Her plays have been featured internationally, and she has won several awards for her poetry and prose.
Property is a sprawling story that takes place over 24 hours in a gentrifying Toronto neighbourhood. The novel dissects the lives and moments that intertwine and coexist in the neighbourhood, which takes on a life of its own, leading up to a death that changes the space forever. Centering on stories of queerness, friendship, loneliness, and the strangeness of being and time, the book draws the reader in effortlessly from its opening words:
In the excavated house, there are rats and water.
The rats have lived there as long as the house. Before the house.
Before the house, there was water. The water was covered over.
Cyclical in nature, the first chapter ends with the following:
The water rises and the rats drink.
The launch was a celebratory moment for Cayley, and she described it as “a culmination of years of work, both the solitary work of writing a novel and then all the work that comes after.”
Surrounded by a supportive group of people—friends, family, book-lovers and locals—the launch of Property highlighted the importance and significance of community for Cayley. “Property is very much a book about being situated in a place, and [the launch] felt like part of that. [It was very important for me to be able to] to look out at the faces of people who were there for me, from my wife to strangers.”
The Society Clubhouse is a women-owned, community-focused cafe, bar, and event venue space located near Ossington station in Dufferin Grove. Self-described as “Your neighbourhood hangout spot,” the space was crowded with over 100 people purchasing Property, getting Cayley’s signature, and making new connections. James Lindsay, Couch House Books’ Publicist, mentioned that they chose the location for its accessibility, which is one of their priorities when bringing people together for a launch.
“Writing a book is a very challenging thing and takes a long time, both to write it and get it published,” Lindsay says. “So by the time it comes out, it’s important to make sure the author is celebrated, that their book is celebrated. In a world that is increasingly online, [launches are] an opportunity to actually share your work in person with friends, family, and fans. And it’s a great moment for readers to connect with authors they like and get a book signed.”
Coach House Books will be at Biblioasis Bookshop in Windsor on Nov. 14 for another chance to get a signed copy of Property. The rest of CH Books’ Fall/Winter 2025 – 2026 season includes Fifteen Dogs (Tenth Anniversary Edition) by André Alexis, When Water Became Blue by Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette, Circumtrauma by Jumoke Verissimo, and many others. Visit chbooks.com/events for updates.
York University’s Department of English will also be hosting Kate Cayley as the Winter 2026 Writer-in-Residence, so be sure to continue the conversation there. In preparation of Cayley’s arrival, you can learn more about her at katecayley.ca.
