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Shortlisted for the 2003 Amazon/Books In Canada First Novel Award A stunning first novel packed with empathy, marked by an astounding maturity of insight. Cumberland is both a location and a state of mind; this can be a small-town story of longing and loss in the way of David Adams Richards. It really is an exploration of loneliness and worries of loneliness in lives limited by circumstance. Cumberland can be an industrial town located halfway between Ottawa and Montreal on the shore of the St. Lawrence River. It's facing the close of its factories and mills in the wake of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Ernest, a mill worker whose job is lost when the mill closes, is fifty-two; his employment prospects are poor. His life to this point hasn't equipped him to face any more loss. Desiring companionship, he meets Bea, a waitress at Malouf's, the local pub. Bea lives in an apartment with Amanda, who left home at 17 because she couldnt live with her mother and stepfather. Yearning for a better life, Amanda develops a crush on Nick, Ernest's drinking buddy, who represents many areas of a better life - he has a Range Rover, owns a residence - he's emotionally unavailable to Amanda, being truly a recently widowed single father. The lives of Ernest, Bea, Amanda, Nick, and his son Aaron get together, fall apart, and get together again in this memorable and emotionally satisfying novel.
