Follow Polly's Lane

Follow Polly's Lane exposes the separate dramas of two female neighbours with differing values after a violent storm implodes their private lives, bringing them together and then tearing them apart. This story revolves around a private, dead-end lane which provides access to three grand but dilapidated manors near New Abino, a small hamlet of Point Abino, Ontario. While the lakefront homes are deserted, their adjacent bunkies, historically used for the hired help, house four intriguing tenants.

 

Formerly an Irish nun turned nurse, Sonnet O'Brien understands the needs of the heart, unlike her unsavoury neighbour, who returns to Canada from the United States as a deported convict. Reba Adler and her neurodivergent son, with fifteen years between them, work to rebuild their lives after escaping the rigours and hardships of their Nova Scotia roots. A stray dog, fed and loved by most, appoints himself as the lane's security detail and earns an important role. Unpredictable events bring out the best and worst in these tenants over two wintery months, and, as with the author's previous novels, emphasize the importance of trust and human connection.