Come From Away
CBC Books | Posted: July 16, 2018 6:44 PM | Last Updated: July 17, 2018
Genevieve Graham
In the fall of 1939, Grace Baker's three brothers, sharp and proud in their uniforms, board Canadian ships headed for a faraway war. Grace stays behind, tending to the homefront and the general store that helps keep her small Nova Scotian community running. The war, everyone says, will be over before it starts. But three years later, the fighting rages on and rumours swirl about "wolf packs" of German U-Boats lurking in the deep waters along the shores of East Jeddore, a stone's throw from Grace's window. As the harsh realities of war come closer to home, Grace buries herself in her work at the store.
Then, one day, a handsome stranger ventures into the store. He claims to be a trapper come from away, and as Grace gets to know him, she becomes enamoured by his gentle smile and thoughtful ways. But after several weeks, she discovers that Rudi, her mysterious visitor, is not the lonely outsider he appears to be. He is someone else entirely — someone not to be trusted. When a shocking truth about her family forces Grace to question everything she has so strongly believed, she realizes that she and Rudi have more in common than she had thought. And if Grace is to have a chance at love, she must not only choose a side, but take a stand. (From Simon & Schuster)
From the book
The heat was a living thing, and cicadas screeched maniacally from hidden perches. Sunlight streamed through the leaves overhead, painting polka dots on the road under Grace's feet, and she felt a bead of perspiration run down her back. July had been wet and miserable, but the closer they got to the end of the summer, the hotter and dryer it became. Like summer figured it was running out of time and had better make an impression while it still could. The only thing that had saved her during her long shift at Gardner's Store today was the brand new General Electric fan, all sixteen glorious rotating inches of it. If she could have stood in front of that thing the entire day she would have, not the least bit worried about how it tangled her hair. After all, it wouldn't matter if her hair was a mess if she died from overheating, she reasoned.
From Come From Away by Genevieve Graham ©2018. Published by Simon & Schuster.