The Ice Widow - Smith-Nochasak, Anne M

. .

Résumé :
During her first teaching year away from her Halifax home-in Endor, an Inuit community on the far northern coast of Labrador-Anna Caine falls deeply in love with the raw beauty of the land, the warmth and acceptance of its people, and with Joshua Kalluk, an Inuk carpenter engaged to another. But when the pull of their brief affair proves insufficient to win Joshua from his betrothed, Anna leaves Endor abruptly and returns home, carrying Joshua's child and ending her own engagement. As the years pass, Anna and Joshua share parenting responsibilities for their son but little else. Joshua had moved on with his wife and their growing family, while Anna found herself adrift, longing for what she had lost and struggling to come to terms with her choices, fighting to maintain an independence that always left her unfulfilled. It isn't until she retires, amidst a terrifying global pandemic, and is called upon to act as a medical escort for Joshua during his cancer treatments, and eventually to accompany him on his final journey home, that she is forced to confront both the past and her own lingering feelings of love, shame, and regret. The Ice Widow - A Story of Love and Redemption is a beautiful and heart-wrenching work of literary fiction that delves into themes of honour, compassion, and inter-cultural empathy. Life can be both beautiful and tragic but is a journey to be honoured both in spite of its struggles and because of them-a journey in which redemption is always possible.

Biographie:
Like her characters, Anne M. Smith-Nochasak grew up in a rural community that might be judgmental, but also watches over its own. And her great-grandmother really did cut her teeth on Spanish doubloons. Much of the idea for A Canoer of Shorelines came to her when she lived summers in a cabin that was accessed by canoe. Smith-Nochasak is of diverse ancestry, with preachers, priests, and privateers in her background. She's been a waitress, an oven insulator, a tire verifier, an aide in a nursing home, and many things besides before turning to teaching in her late twenties. She's mainly worked in northern and isolated settings with Indigenous communities, where she found her greatest joy in this profession. Smith-Nochasak lives in a rural wooded area in western Nova Scotia, and likes to hike, kayak, canoe, and spend quality time with her vocal Husky and an enthusiastic retriever-collie.

Sommaire:
Like her characters, Anne M. Smith-Nochasak grew up in rural western Nova Scotia, where she currently resides and teaches part-time after many years working in northern communities. Her first novel, A Canoer of Shorelines, was recognized as one of The Miramichi Reader's Best of Fiction in 2021, and her second novel, The Ice Widow, was on the shortlist for the Whistler Independent Book Awards in 2023, as well as a semi-finalist in the North Street Book Prize competition. She is currently a member of the Writers Federation of Nova Scotia. When she isn't writing or teaching, Anne can be found reading, kayaking, gardening, renovating, or exploring the woods with her two dogs. She can be reached through her website www.acanoerofshorelines.com/ or on X, IG, and FB @smithnochasak....