A View From The Edge Of The World
This is my first novel, originally written as an independent study project when I was sixteen. I am currently revising, and seeking representation.
Synopsis: Rose MacRae is hemmed in by the scant opportunities and restrictive expectations offered by the remote fishing village of Miller's Bay, Nova Scotia. When her family’s attempt to arrange a suitable future for her go violently awry at her sister’s wedding, Rose flees to the United States to start over.
As she builds her new life in Rhode Island, Rose gradually paints a nostalgic and carefully edited portrait of her former home for herself. Cushioned by distance and protective of her pride, she ignores the death of her brother-in-law and leaves her nephew Blàir to handle the loss alone. She also ignores the disastrous fisheries failure and resulting economic crisis that may mean the end of Miller's Bay.Meanwhile, the people she left behind in Miller’s Bay try to ride out the increasingly desperate economic situation—or follow in Rose’s footsteps and scheme their way to prosperity or escape.
Twenty-five years after Rose’s arrival in the United States, her son Nick Jones, a promising musician, plans to return to Miller’s Bay after winning a music contest. Instead, his plans are dashed by the suicide of his childhood friend, which nearly takes Nick’s life as well. Guided by his mother’s retouched recollections of Nova Scotia, Nick leaves Rhode Island for Miller’s Bay, in hopes that small-town kindness might offer a refuge from his guilt and anguish.But in Miller’s Bay, Nick finds a mess of resentment, intrigue and failed ambition his mother left behind, including the schemes of his increasingly unstable cousin Blàir.
Nick's search for redemption and the fate of Miller's Bay become ever more closely entwined, as Nick comes ever closer to mental and emotional collapse. The resulting struggles will lead multiple generations of Rose’s family to reexamine their understanding of themselves—their values, their dreams, and their obligations to each other.
The novel can be read in full on Authonomy (you must log into the sight due to "adult content"). Sample chapters will hopefully be posted here soon.
Synopsis: Rose MacRae is hemmed in by the scant opportunities and restrictive expectations offered by the remote fishing village of Miller's Bay, Nova Scotia. When her family’s attempt to arrange a suitable future for her go violently awry at her sister’s wedding, Rose flees to the United States to start over.
As she builds her new life in Rhode Island, Rose gradually paints a nostalgic and carefully edited portrait of her former home for herself. Cushioned by distance and protective of her pride, she ignores the death of her brother-in-law and leaves her nephew Blàir to handle the loss alone. She also ignores the disastrous fisheries failure and resulting economic crisis that may mean the end of Miller's Bay.Meanwhile, the people she left behind in Miller’s Bay try to ride out the increasingly desperate economic situation—or follow in Rose’s footsteps and scheme their way to prosperity or escape.
Twenty-five years after Rose’s arrival in the United States, her son Nick Jones, a promising musician, plans to return to Miller’s Bay after winning a music contest. Instead, his plans are dashed by the suicide of his childhood friend, which nearly takes Nick’s life as well. Guided by his mother’s retouched recollections of Nova Scotia, Nick leaves Rhode Island for Miller’s Bay, in hopes that small-town kindness might offer a refuge from his guilt and anguish.But in Miller’s Bay, Nick finds a mess of resentment, intrigue and failed ambition his mother left behind, including the schemes of his increasingly unstable cousin Blàir.
Nick's search for redemption and the fate of Miller's Bay become ever more closely entwined, as Nick comes ever closer to mental and emotional collapse. The resulting struggles will lead multiple generations of Rose’s family to reexamine their understanding of themselves—their values, their dreams, and their obligations to each other.
The novel can be read in full on Authonomy (you must log into the sight due to "adult content"). Sample chapters will hopefully be posted here soon.
