Like her mother, Natalie believes their lives are blessed, as rich and as sweet as the fresh milk that is their livelihood.Įverything changes one hot July afternoon in 1966 when a long-haired stranger walks up the winding dirt road to their door. She adores her three brothers, especially the eldest, Boyer, whom she idolizes with a childlike worship. Natalie cherishes her position as the only daughter of the beautiful Nettie Ward-the pride of the Catholic Ladies Auxiliary-and the town's milkman, Gus Ward-the darling of Atwood housewives. Friends and neighbors, young and old alike, show up regularly on their farmhouse porch-all willing to share in the never-ending daily chores in exchange for a place at the Ward family table. A family so close and loving that they are the envy of the nearby town of Atwood. Growing up on a dairy farm in the mountains of British Columbia less than two miles from the American border, she knows little of the outside world. It's an often exhilarating read.He will change their lives forever.Īt fifteen, Natalie Ward believes her life is perfect.
Despite the devastation at the centre of the story, by the closing pages a sense of hope and renewal are firmly embedded. It is testament to Donna Milner's skill as a novelist that she instils her characters with such warmth and humanity that the fate of Natalie and her family is enthralling. From the leisurely pace at the start of the novel the plot is suddenly wrenched forward as tragedy follows tragedy in quick succession. The arrival of this attractive stranger signals an end to the peace and innocence of Natalie's childhood. At the heart of the spiralling loss of control is River, an American draft-dodger employed by Natalie's father to help on the farm. Yet over the course of a few days this tranquil existence is shattered by a series of tumultuous events from which the Ward family will never fully recover.
Growing up on a dairy farm in rural Canada in the 1960s, Natalie Ward almost comes to believe that the harsh realities of the outside world cannot affect her idyllic family life.
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