Abstract
This article aims to analyse the geographical patterns in the representation of Canada as a shelter in American fiction through the study of three novels: Canada by Richard Ford, The Shipping News by Annie Proulx and A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. Canada in these novels is described as a harsh environment, difficult to get used to. But it is also a mirror that reflects the excesses and the negative aspects of the United States that the heroes left behind, and the place where they can paradoxically live the American Dream. The country creates ambiguous belongings and is viewed as a border and a frontier that the heroes need to claim.