Maureen Brownlee Boeken

Set in the British Columbia Interior, this novel pays tribute to resource towns, independent women, and local newspapers. In 1994, as the bark beetle epidemic threatens millions of acres of pine forest, a lumber town faces a grim future with the closure of its only sawmill. The provincial government’s push to shift from timber to tourism leads the town council to embrace a resort developer as their last hope. However, the human cost of this decision sparks a struggle for the community's very essence. The narrative unfolds through three perspectives. Stevie Jeffers, a timid 24-year-old single mother, stakes her future on the town following a traumatic breakup. Nash Malone, a reclusive Spanish Civil War veteran, scavenges from the local dump, putting him at odds with the town's beautification plans. Meanwhile, Maggie Evans, 54, cash-strapped and short-staffed, waits to sell her late husband's struggling newspaper, the Chronicle. As their lives intersect and tensions rise, each character confronts the complex divide between substance and hype, past and future, hope and despair. Rich with unforgettable characters, this story masterfully explores the human politics of a small town and the interplay between individual lives, political agendas, and environmental crises.