In a small New Brunswick town, the lives of several people from dysfunctional families are about to collide. Sandy lives among the crumbling relics of his family's past glory as prominent citizens of the town. Perhaps out of duty, he is working on a book about the town's history, but can't get past the first sentence. Margaret, who lives with her sister Minnie in their childhood home, is haunted by childhood memories, and resents her much younger sister who escaped the terrors of Margaret's childhood. Teen-aged Chaleur spends hours in the woods to escape from his unloving mother, brother, and stepfather, remembering happier days before his father's death. Gloria tries to will her family to happiness through telling and retelling stories from their shared past.

The events of the book and the revelations of character are often dark and twisted, yet there is enough humor to prevent the mood from becoming completely oppressive. This isn't a happily-ever-after story, yet I was left with the impression that these formerly isolated individuals, by acknowledging the things from their pasts that have troubled them even in their dreams, have connected in a way that makes future contentment possible.

I have a fairly low tolerance for strong language and graphic sexual content, and there was much more in this book than I'm comfortable with. If I had known ahead of time about the content, I wouldn't have chosen to read the book. The characters wrestle with complex moral issues and emotions such as guilt, forgiveness, faith, love, and purpose. People with a higher tolerance level for graphic content may find much to contemplate here. ( )