In 1939, as the Great Depression draws to a close and war looms in Europe, the small prairie community of Grayley is all but deserted. Abel Dodds roams his family’s property, searching for gold buried by his late father in an undisclosed location. When his neighbor Jake Wishart stops by to tell Abel he’s leaving town and to ask if Abel can keep an eye on his sister Una, their son, and grandfather, Abel reluctantly agrees.
Abel and the Wisharts prepare for the growing season – their last chance to make a living on their debt-ridden farms. When they hear the news that the king and queen are coming to gather troops, tensions rise. With barely any food on the table and their land turned to dust, steadfast optimist Una is convinced the royal journey will change their lives for the better. But Abel wants a reckoning.
In this lyrical novel, Nina Berkhout artfully tells a story of hope and disillusionment, of disasters and the cultivation of joy, of the relationship between people and the land in which they live. (By Goose Lane Editions)
Nina Berkhout is a poet and novelist currently living in Ottawa. She is also the author of the novels The Gallery of Lost Species And Why birds sing and five volumes of poetry. Her youth novel The mosaic, was nominated for the White Pine Award and the Ottawa Book Awards.
