Sharon Butala’s thought provoking novel, LEAVING WISDOM has been sold to Elizabeth Philips at Thistledown Press.
LEAVING WISDOM begins with the wrong kind of bang when retiring social worker Judith falls on the way to her retirement party. Her ears still ringing and her strength compromised by a shaky recovery, Judith moves back to the town of Wisdom, Saskatchewan near the farm where she grew up. There she confronts many unanswered questions: Why was her father, a World War Two vet, so troubled? What were her brother and sister hiding from her? And, more immediately, is there a serious crime unfolding in the house next door?
Small town bigotry and shady goings-on make Judith’s search for answers even more bewildering. As she attempts to untangle the mysteries that ensnare her at every turn, more complicated and wider ranging questions arise as she uncovers the truth about her damaged father. This very readable tale depicts the suffering that comes from family secrets, and one woman’s late-life awakening to the complex shadows cast by World War Two and the Holocaust.
Sharon Butala is the author of twelve works of fiction and nine non-fiction books. The recipient of multiple awards and honours, she was most recently nominated for the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize for her short story collection, Season of Fury and Wonder. Sharon lives in Calgary, Alberta.
Sharon is represented by Marilyn Biderman.