National Network for Equitable Library Service

Some people age gracefully as wisdom and calm come with the grey hair. Others become crotchety, opinionated, and odd. People avoid them and laugh at them. Still others give up on life, on ambition, on dreams, and settle into a pleasant wait for the grave. I was one of those people. Felix Ryan, from Curlew, Conception Bay, is a schoolteacher on the edge of a cliff in a serious mid-life crisis. But a phone call from Tammy, an ex-girlfriend, calls him back home to help his eccentric father in his latest crusade. A big US oil company has begun fracking in his hometown. Led by a jovial Texan and represented by a crack young lawyer, the company is buying up land. The town is split in two over fracking and its new prosperity. Sparks of attraction fly between Felix and Tammy, even though he jilted her years before. Felix's father leads the fight against the oil company, and Felix is drawn further into the fight. As the battle lines are drawn in the sand, he finds a new direction in his life, a woman who loves him, and a cause worth fighting for. From the author of The Sign on My Father's House- Winner of the CBC's NL Reads 2020 Competition.