Out tomorrow (September 7, 2019) from Freehand Books is Lauren Carter’s new novel THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU!
“… tender and devastating. A deep dive into the trauma created by family secrets — and secret-keeping.” —Sarah Selecky, author of Radiant Shimmering Light
When Melony Barnett’s mother commits a violent murder, Mel is left struggling with the loss of her parents and her future. For more than two years, she drifts around the continent, trying to carve out a life that has nothing to do with her past, before returning to her Northern Ontario home and adopting a rescue dog—a mastiff with a tragic history. As she struggles to help the dog heal and repair her relationship with her brother, Matt, she begins to uncover layers of secrets about her family —secrets that were the fuel for her mother’s actions.
Lauren Carter is the author of the novel Swarm and the poetry collections Following Sea and Lichen Bright.Swarm was on CBC’s list of 40 novels that could change Canada. Her short story “Rhubarb” won top place in the Prairie Fire fiction prize and appeared in the annual Best Canadian Stories, and her work has also been nominated for the Journey Prize and longlisted multiple times for the CBC Literary Prizes in both poetry and fiction. She currently resides in St. Andrews, Manitoba.