pickA family counsellor in Whitehorse deals with her own grief while trying to help 15-year-old Gale with her mental health troubles. A quiet, character-focussed novel that vividly portrays the Yukon setting and enthusiasm for wilderness adventure. #ShadowGiller2022 #CanLit
Fall in the Yukon lasts three days. It is the barest threshold before the winter storms roll in. Over three days summer throws a last fond look over her shoulder, sets the land aglow, and then vanishes, taking the light with her.
When Gwen was on the phone with Helen, she always said, We were wondering when you‘re coming. We. Gwen meant the dogs. She didn‘t see herself as living alone. Not like Helen who always felt alone, in spite of Chief.
The tagged novel mentions that the Takhini hot springs is “one of the great boons of life in Whitehorse”—I totally agree. The novel also describes it as “badly in need of sprucing up” —which is no longer true. I was there in July and it‘s entirely rebuilt; a world-class spa experience. If you travel to Whitehorse, don‘t miss it!
A file of mergansers filed past, a mother and one, two, three — fourteen offspring. Helen kept so still they paddled right by her, like a gang of punks with their slicked-back crests.
Why I'm Here | 
