Days after she arrives in Barcelona, Niki’s world is turned upside down when her fiancé calls off their engagement. Unwilling to return to Toronto and face a looming assault charge, she turns to life on the streets. Living among pickpockets, squatters and graffiti artists in a city she barely knows, she is challenged to reassess her ideas about family, luck and art. With the help of a passionate Catalan separatist who dreams of building a new country from the ground up, Niki realizes that starting her life over from scratch could be an opportunity – if she can just find a way to clear her name. "Broken hearts, complicated friendships, freeganism (fascinating idea), and dysfunctional familial relationships. This book was my perfect kind of escape read." -- Lisa de Nikolits ― The Minerva Reader " Proof I Was Here explores themes of ephemerality, loss, and renewal. In sparse, steady prose, Blake reminds us of how layered, complex, and pain-filled our lives can be." -- Neil Price ― The Humber LIterary Review " Proof I Was Here offers an interesting twist on the conventional expat narrative. This vibrancy imbues the novel with freshness and an energy that helps propel it toward a satisfying conclusion." -- Kerry Clare ― Quill & Quire "A Torontonian thief reboots her life on the streets of Barcelona with the help of a Catalan separatist in this debut novel: a story about luck, art and rebuilding a country – or yourself – from the ground up." -- Becky Toyne ― Globe and Mail "In Proof I Was Here, Becky Blake takes us on an extraordinary journey through Barcelona's underbelly, exploring with empathy and insight the human need for belonging and security, and what it means to lose everything. Finely crafted and richly imagined, Proof I Was Here is an enthralling, intelligent and fast-paced novel you won't be able to put down." -- Ayelet Tsabari ― author of The Art of Leaving and The Best Place on Earth " Proof I Was Here is laced with grit, art and angst. This evocative novel explores the intersection of privilege and survival, 'good' and 'bad' behaviour, permanence and the ephemeral . . . it reminds us of the power of our choices, but also shows how serendipity can, in a moment, change what we think about ourselves and the world." -- Leesa Dean ― author of Waiting for the Cyclone The highly anticipated debut novel from the two-time winner of the CBC Literary Prize Days after she arrives in Barcelona, Niki's world is turned upside down when her fiance calls off their engagement. Unwilling to return to Toronto and face a looming assault charge, she turns to life on the streets. Living among pickpockets, squatters and graffiti artists in a city she barely knows, she is challenged to reassess her ideas about family, luck and art. With the help of a passionate Catalan separatist who dreams of building a new country from the ground up, Niki realizes that starting her life over from scratch could be an opportunity - if she can just find a way to clear her name. ADVANCE PRAISE FOR PROOF I WAS HERE "In Proof I Was Here , Becky Blake takes us on an extraordinary journey through Barcelona's underbelly, exploring with empathy and insight the human need for belonging and security, and what it means to lose everything. Finely crafted and richly imagined, Proof I Was Here is an enthralling, intelligent and fast-paced novel you won't be able to put down." - Ayelet Tsabari, author of The Art of Leaving and The Best Place on Earth " Proof I Was Here is laced with grit, art and angst. This evocative novel explores the intersection of privilege and survival, 'good' and 'bad' behaviour, permanence and the ephemeral . . . it reminds us of the power of our choices, but also shows how serendipity can, in a moment, change what we think about ourselves and the world." - Leesa Dean, author of Waiting for the Cyclone Becky Blake is a two-time winner of the CBC Literary Prize (for Nonfiction in 2017 and Short Story in 2013). She holds an MFA from the University of Guelph and teaches creative writing online for the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies. Becky currently lives in San Antonio, Texas, where she’s working on a second novel and a memoir-in-essays.