Abstract

This collection of stories is centered around Nancy McKinnon, a young woman who unconsciously struggles to break free of the close-knit yet restricting society she was born into. Set in small-town Nova Scotia, these stories offer a glimpse into a world where traditional and conservative values prevail and any personal change or growth that transgresses these values is restricted. As the daughter of the Police Chief, Nancy feels a strong urge to rebel, and in the course of doing so, becomes involved in destructive relationships with emotionally desperate men. Nancy eventually recognizes that hope for freedom can come about when she severs herself not only from the people she is deeply involved with, but from the entire community as well. It is primarily through first person stories which explore Nancy's voice and sensibility that the texture of her world is felt by the reader.