by Annie Proulx
First published 2002
Quoyle's wife has died, leaving him alone with two young daughters and a failed career in journalism. At thirty-six, this third-rate newspaperman abandons his old life and travels to Newfoundland, where his family once lived. The harsh coastal landscape becomes home as Quoyle tries to rebuild. His daughters need stability. He needs work. The local residents, each carrying their own stories and secrets, slowly draw the family into their community. Three generations of Quoyle's family begin creating new lives from the pieces of their old ones. Quoyle battles his own fears and weaknesses while facing the brutal weather and unforgiving social dynamics of his new home. Gradually, he discovers that love might exist without the pain and suffering he has always known. The possibility of happiness emerges from the rocky Newfoundland shores.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, family-life, contemporary
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Newfoundland
Period: 20th-century
337 pages · Paperback · Scribner