From Amazon:
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.
5.0 out of 5 stars Ice Widow Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2024
This book has all the feels and then some. Anna Caine seeks love and passion, never finding true love. Relationships are never what one perceives from the outside or within. The author draws upon her own life, living and working in Canadian Indigenous communities. With that wealth comes forth this book expertly woven and truly one for the heart. Then COVID hit and Anna returns home striving for love and redemption that eludes her every step she takes. Can Anna even forgive herself? What becomes of Anna and her supporting characters? Weaving the challenges between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous individuals, the challenges are tough. Every emotion is felt by the characters, many brought tears to my eyes. In the end, Anna decides what love it and the reader must find out if or how redemption can be obtained.
When Angels Fly 