The River Burns
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- $16.99
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
Trevor Ferguson, one of Canada’s most acclaimed writers, returns with The River Burns, his long-awaited new novel.
The River Burns tells the story of a small town in crisis, the mistakes people make, and the courage it takes to heal a community after a horrific act of destruction.
Wakefield is a small town where a unique collection of longstanding citizens has lived mostly in harmony, accepting of each other’s foibles. But underneath the picture perfect exterior a battle rages between those who wish to preserve the historic single-lane covered bridge across the river, and the loggers who want it replaced with a modern alternative. As the days pass with no change in the dispute, tensions begin to boil over, friends turn against one another, and the town seethes with potential violence.
Family man and second-generation logger Denny O’Farrell has been leading the charge to modernize the bridge. When the bureaucratic route fails to produce results, Denny and his friends need a new plan of action. But local police officer Ryan O’Farrell, Denny’s brother, is very worried about exactly how much Denny and friends are willing to risk in order to win the war. Swept up into the dispute, lawyer Raine Tara-Anne Cogshill, a newcomer hiding from her big-city past, hasn’t bargained on getting caught up in a summer of violence.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Wakefield, Quebec, is a seemingly bucolic small town, a community caught in a snow globe of changeless tranquility, but its harmonious facade is fractured when the interests of two factions collide at the local covered bridge. Single-lane and old, the bridge is insufficient for the needs of the local loggers; historic and beautiful, the local tourist industry relies on it. One night, the bridge is burned by an arsonist, and the prime suspect is outspoken logger Dennis O'Farrell. The officer investigating the case, Dennis's long-suffering brother Ryan, is left caught between his duty as a cop and his duty as a sibling, with an entire town waiting to see how he untangles the Gordian knot of conflicting responsibilities. Inspired by actual events in Wakefield, Quebec, the work builds quietly towards its resolution, carefully ensuring that Ryan has no solutions open to him that will not leave him compromised. Although the tone is reminiscent of humorist Stephen Leacock's work at times, the consequences for the characters of the dramatic act of sabotage are potentially life-shattering. Ferguson brings the tale towards resolution and final redemption with deliberation and skill.
