This is a love story, but not a romance.
How do we define love? Perhaps it is not something we do or feel, but something we are.
During her first teaching year away from her Halifax home—in Endor, an Inuit community on the far northern coast of Labrador—Anna Caine falls deeply in love with the raw beauty of the land, the warmth and acceptance of its people, and with Joshua Kalluk, an Inuk carpenter engaged to another. But when the pull of their brief affair proves insufficient to win Joshua from his betrothed, Anna leaves Endor abruptly and returns home, carrying Joshua’s child and ending her own engagement.
As the years pass, Anna and Joshua share parenting responsibilities for their son but little else. Joshua moved on with his wife and their growing family, while Anna found herself adrift, longing for what she had lost and struggling to come to terms with her choices, fighting to maintain an independence that always left her unfulfilled. It isn’t until she retires, amidst a terrifying global pandemic, and is called upon to act as a medical escort for Joshua, and eventually to accompany him on his final journey home, that she is forced to confront both the past and her own lingering feelings of love, shame, and regret.
The Ice Widow – A Story of Love and Redemption is a beautiful and heart-wrenching work of literary fiction that delves into themes of honour, compassion, and inter-cultural empathy. Life can be both beautiful and tragic but is a journey to be honoured both in spite of its struggles and because of them—a journey in which redemption is always possible.
Part of the story takes place now and a few years from now, so yes, there will be mention of pandemic. There will be mention of this pandemic, the pandemic of 1918, and perhaps a pandemic yet to come. Such are the times we live in. It is not, however, a moral tale about how to behave in pandemic times. I hope that in writing this, I have focused on love, loyalty, and redemption, which are important in all our moments.
The Ice Widow was released on November 3rd, 2022 in the FriesenPress Bookstore. I invite you to check it out! All purchase links are listed below.
During her first teaching year away from her Halifax home—in Endor, an Inuit community on the far northern coast of Labrador—Anna Caine falls deeply in love with the raw beauty of the land, the warmth and acceptance of its people, and with Joshua Kalluk, an Inuk carpenter engaged to another. But when the pull of their brief affair proves insufficient to win Joshua from his betrothed, Anna leaves Endor abruptly and returns home, carrying Joshua’s child and ending her own engagement.
As the years pass, Anna and Joshua share parenting responsibilities for their son but little else. Joshua moved on with his wife and their growing family, while Anna found herself adrift, longing for what she had lost and struggling to come to terms with her choices, fighting to maintain an independence that always left her unfulfilled. It isn’t until she retires, amidst a terrifying global pandemic, and is called upon to act as a medical escort for Joshua, and eventually to accompany him on his final journey home, that she is forced to confront both the past and her own lingering feelings of love, shame, and regret.
The Ice Widow – A Story of Love and Redemption is a beautiful and heart-wrenching work of literary fiction that delves into themes of honour, compassion, and inter-cultural empathy. Life can be both beautiful and tragic but is a journey to be honoured both in spite of its struggles and because of them—a journey in which redemption is always possible.
Part of the story takes place now and a few years from now, so yes, there will be mention of pandemic. There will be mention of this pandemic, the pandemic of 1918, and perhaps a pandemic yet to come. Such are the times we live in. It is not, however, a moral tale about how to behave in pandemic times. I hope that in writing this, I have focused on love, loyalty, and redemption, which are important in all our moments.
The Ice Widow was released on November 3rd, 2022 in the FriesenPress Bookstore. I invite you to check it out! All purchase links are listed below.
The Ice Widow Bookstore
