National Network for Equitable Library Service

A modern retelling of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility through the lens of two impoverished sisters facing life in a northern BC oil town. Ellie Dashwood, a welder on the oil worksite, and Valerie, a ballet dancer working as a bar waitress, try to navigate life in Sober, BC, after their con man father dies suddenly, leaving them only his debts. As in Austen's classic novel, Sisters of the North is rich in characters attempting to carve out a new life from the circumstances fate has dealt them. In their stories filled with humour, hardship, joy and romance, the sisters steer a course through the many challenges they face. Struggling to make ends meet, Ellie takes out her frustrations playing beer league hockey at the local rink, while Valerie decides to up the ante by trading her job for a more lucrative life on the stage as a stripper. As they deal with their new realities, they discover that the men in their lives have not been completely honest. And yet, they have each other and hope for their future.