Marlen and Hilda Jorgensen’s family has received two significant pieces of news: one, Marlen has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Two, a cosmic blast is set to render humanity extinct within a matter of months. It seems the coming Christmas on their Saskatchewan farm will be their last.
Preparing for the inevitable, they navigate the time they have left together. Marlen and Hilda have channeled their energy into improbably prophetic works of art. Hilda’s elderly father receives a longed-for visitor from his past, her sister refuses to believe the world is ending, and her teenaged nephew is missing. All the while, her daughter struggles to find her way home from Berlin with the help of an oddly familiar stranger. For everyone, there’s an unsettling feeling that this unprecedented reality is something they remember.
Incredibly compelling
"An incredibly compelling look at life and death and all that we can never really know, laced through with love and compassion and family and kindness, and all the things we know for sure — these things that must transcend the mystery, somehow. Strangely comforting, immediately resonant, this book touches on our deepest fears, and our innermost longings, through characters so vulnerable and authentic you can not imagine taking this journey along with anyone else. Nora, nineteen, is a confused and vulnerable Canadian teen, still reeling after a traumatic romantic dumping (by text message, nonetheless). When Nora accepts a placement in Berlin, Germany that will see her leave her rural Saskatchewan home and family (whose members are each going through their own internal traumas), her desperate attempt to begin her life again will move in directions she could not possilbly predict. Without giving the plot away, (no spoilers here), ironically, for Nora and everyone else, the world just may be at the point of ending. And not merely metaphorically, as this cast of characters are forced to examine their lives and their loves on their individual journeys, as they attempt to make peace with an upcoming cataclysmic event. A complex story that is beautifully written, the author somehow manages to weave quantum mechanics, weighty philosophical questions, a slyly humorous cat, and the life experiences and relationships of one luminous and extended family, into a story both profound, and utterly heartwarming. A terrific read, this book is highly recommended for those readers who want to lose themselves in characters who matter, — who hurt and grieve and long for more; who think about the bigger questions while doing their best; and ultimately, who find solace in each other along the way. A great big thank you to riverstreetwriting, the author, the publisher for an ARC of this book. All thoughts provided are my own."
