by Esi Edugyan
First published 2005
Samuel Tyne receives an unexpected inheritance from a relative he barely knew: a house in the small town of Aster, Alberta. He uproots his family from their familiar life, believing this move will offer them a fresh start and new opportunities. His wife Maud resists the upheaval, while their twin daughters struggle to adapt to their isolated new surroundings. The house itself seems to carry the weight of its previous owners, and Samuel finds himself caught between his ambitions for his family's future and the growing tensions that threaten to tear them apart. As the Tynes attempt to build their second life in this unfamiliar place, Samuel must confront what it means to belong somewhere and whether starting over can truly erase the past.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, 20th-century, 21st-century, family-drama
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, second-chance
Setting: Aster, Alberta
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
320 pages · Paperback · Vintage Canada