New ebooks From Canadian Indies

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list price: $29.95
edition:Hardcover
also available: eBook Paperback
category: Fiction
published: Jul 2012
ISBN:9781770862227
publisher: Cormorant Books

The Western Light

A Novel

by Susan Swan

tagged: literary
Description

The Western Light, the prequel to the international bestselling The Wives of Bath, is Susan Swan's long-awaited return to the life of the beloved narrator Mary "Mouse" Bradford. Mouse's world is constrained by a number of factors: her mother is dead, her father -- the admired country doctor -- is emotionally distant, her housekeeper Sal is prejudiced and narrow, and her grandmother and aunt, Big Louie and Little Louie, the only life-affirming presences in her life, live in another city.

Enter Gentleman John Pilkie, the former NHL star who's transferred to the mental hospital in Midland, where he is to serve out his life-sentence for the murder of his wife and daughter. John becomes a point of fascination for young Mary, who looks to him for the attention she does not receive from her father. He, in turn, is kind to her -- but the kindness is misunderstood. When Mary figures out that the attention she receives from the Hockey Killer is different in kind and intent from the attention her Aunt Little Louie receives, her world collapses. Set against the beautiful and dramatic shores of Georgian Bay, the climax will have readers turning pages with concern for characters they can't help but love.

About the Author

Susan Swan

SUSAN SWAN is a Toronto novelist and non-fiction writer and a professor emerita at York University. Her books include The Wives of Bath, The Biggest Modern Woman of the World, What Casanova Told Me, The Western Light and Stupid Boys Are Good to Relax With. She is also co-founder of the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction, the largest literary prize for women and non-binary writers in Canada and the United States. Recently awarded the Order of Canada, Susan Swan lives in Toronto.

Editorial Reviews

"Haunting . it grips and doesn't let go."

— Newsday for The Wives of Bath

"Mouse Bradford is a unique and luminous creation... Gentleman John Pilkie, the hockey killer with a heart of gold, is
dressed and ready to become a legend."

— Paul Gross
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