Brace yourself.
Angie Abdou, longtime Fernie local and acclaimed author of Anything Boys Can Do, The Bone Cage, and The Canterbury Trail, has a new novel.
The book is aptly titled Between.
In Between, Abdou holds nothing back. Nothing.
It is a brave and unflinching look at her main character, Vero Nanton’s life. She is a mother, on the verge of a breakdown, a wife on the verge of a divorce, a woman who finds herself struggling to navigate the unnatural emotions that accompany having a stranger from another country live in her house and raise her children.
She is between…everything.
It’s devastating and it’s funny. Hard to imagine, I know.
Somehow Abdou manages to weave her harsh tale masterfully with threads of compassion and humor.
As I cracked open the front cover, which is always a wonderful sensation, I felt like I was walking down an unknown path.
It seemed familiar at first, but several steps in I realized no, I had never been here before. Unsure of where I was going, and with butterflies of anticipation dancing in my stomach, I kept walking.
There were unexpected surprises around every corner. I laughed and I cried. At times I squirmed in my chair, at times I couldn’t move from it.
Through it all Abdou guides your way with characters so well developed they stay with you long after you reach their shaky conclusion. I often feel like calling them to see how they’re doing.
Between receiving rave reviews across the country, most notably in Canada’s prominent literary journal, Quill and Quire, Angie Abdou will be kicking off the highly impressive ‘Booked!’ series at the Fernie Heritage Library this fall with the official launch of Between.
The free event will be the evening of September 26. Doors open at 7 p.m., with music from Red Girl, food by Krissi Hyland’s Nourish Through Nature, and a cash bar. Donations to keep this remarkable series going are always welcome.
Angie will start speaking at 8 p.m. on September 26. To pick up a copy of Between, please visit Polar Peek Books and Treasures on Main Street in Fernie. Patty Reedyk, owner and dedicated supporter of local writers, has a copy waiting for you.