First published 2026
Aliet Paul was born beneath a sacred birthing tree in Nova Scotia, raised by her grandmother Kiju after her mother died in childbirth. Her father's identity remains hidden. Growing up among seasonal apple pickers, Aliet learns traditional Mi'kmaw healing ways alongside her friendship with John. When prejudice against traditional midwifery leads to tragedy, Aliet leaves for nursing school and modern medicine training. Years pass before Kiju's death calls her home to a decaying house and fractured community. As Aliet repairs each room, she feels her grandmother's teachings resurface. She begins investigating her mother's death and her own mysterious parentage. Each discovery reveals deeper family secrets, dangerous loyalties, and generational trauma. Someone witnessed her mother's final moments. Someone knows what happened in the orchard years ago. Someone wants these truths buried forever. Aliet must decide which ancestral traditions to preserve while protecting the land and honoring the women who came before her.
Genres: historical-fiction, 21st-century, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, generational-trauma
Setting: Nova Scotia, Mi'kmaw
Period: 21st Century
304 pages · Hardcover · Catapult
Content warnings: colonialism